Magnolia Ninety-Nine
by nalutrashipper
Summary: Natsu Dragneel is a prodigy who was born to be a cop who's hell-bent on defeating his partner on perp count but what happens when a brown-haired lady barges in a demands audience with the Captain? Throw in a writer wanna-be, a nosy and obnoxious partner, and a whole band of terrorists waiting to kill everyone and you've got yourself a town that's not to be missed.
1. Code 1

_**ROUGHLY 10 MONTHS AWAY**_

* * *

The night sky rumbled angrily, warning pedestrians to take cover within the safety of their homes. Natsu turned to look at the dark clouds that loomed over him, urging him to hurry home before they burst and drench him with rain water.

Pulling his duffle bag up, he picked up his pace towards the place he called home that he shared with his Russian blue cat, Happy. His condo's building was lit with the chandelier lights hanging at the lobby, alongside rows of lamps lit to a golden hue to set a classy atmosphere.

A man whose name plate read _Maximo_ was standing behind the reception's desk. He had dark complexion which hinted at his race and a curly bush of hair stood atop his head. Maximo, as Natsu had observed, only worked during weekends early mornings, and late night weekday shifts which made him think whether the young man was still a student or merely had too many regular daytime jobs. To Natsu, the dark-skinned man was too quiet and unwelcoming to be trusted.

The condo Natsu was living at was one of his father's many units but it was placed under Natsu's name, seeing as it was his parents' graduation gift to him. It was an expensive room, one that Natsu would never be able to afford on his lifetime. The building had two elevators for convenience and he was thankful for the extra lift when two people (sometimes more) were shagging on the first one.

Natsu pressed the _Up_ button in the elevator and spared a glance outside to see that God or whoever was up there controlling the weather was merciful enough to spare him as it started its downpour. The elevator opened to reveal two people eating each other's faces. Natsu grimaced, not having enough energy in him to hide his disdain.

He turned to the other elevator to see that it was on the highest floor of the building. He contemplated taking the stairs but his bladder was demanding a toilet and walking while needing to control one's bladder is never a good combination.

Sighing, he pressed the other elevator's button and decided to take a cup of coffee as he waited, trying to make matters worse with his ongoing battle with his bladder. Approaching Maximo, he asked the man for coffee and the younger man did, though it looked like it was against him to do so.

A gush of wind entered the lobby, making Natsu shiver from the harsh bites of the cold air and prickling of the drops of rain that managed to enter the building. He hid his face against his scarf to better protect his face from the cold and stuffed his hands inside his coat's pockets.

The hotel's glass door opened and in came a woman whose hair was covered in a salmon-pink scarf probably to protect her hair from getting wet by the rain. Strands of brown hair that jutted out from under her scarf, dancing with the wind. She let out a huff and placed a manila envelope on the floor as she took out a towel from her hand bag and attempted to dry herself.

The woman sighed, her arms and legs now somewhat free from excess raindrops. She looked up at the two men who were standing near the reception desk. Suddenly, she smiled.

"Good evening, Maximo!" She exclaimed, waving her hand to the receptionist behind Natsu. He turned to Maximo and was shocked to see the man with a small smile on his face and a dust of pink starting to cover the receptionist's dark cheeks.

Maximo started to wave his hand and muttered a small greeting to the lady but she was gone. The only proof that she had ever been there was a wet spot by the entrance of the condominium, the excess bite of coldness that accompanied her when she came in, and the manila envelope that laying forgotten on the floor.

* * *

Natsu stared at the brown envelope that made his coffee table its new home. It had been on his condo for more than a few days now. Working as a detective at the local precinct, he figured waiting for a person to look for it would be easier than to file a _lost and found_ for it.

He already had too much on his plate, a measly compilation of words didn't have to add up to it.

He patted Happy once more before leaving again. He was being called for an emergency meeting in the bullpen again. Only this time, he was willing to go seeing as they only had about a year now to prepare for his undercover mission.

"How's your perp count, Natsu?" Natsu turned to his childhood friend who was now the precinct's desk worker.

"Going strong as always, Lisanna." He grinned at the white-haired beauty. "I've only got ten more to go to reach our goal and Gray's still eleven away. My victory's already ensured."

"Stop spouting nonsense, flame brain." A raven-haired man smacked the back of Natsu's head. "Everybody knows who's the better detective between the two of us."

"You're right." Natsu smirked, "And it's me."

It's still early in the morning, the sun had just risen but Natsu knew that the ice bastard could jail some perp or two anytime and beat him. The thought fired him up and he was immediately back to his desk after the emergency meeting.

Turns out, it was about another case, one that was being led by Juvia. However, criminal attacks and misdeeds were usually connected these days which forced the whole squad to gather in hopes that it could give them a new lead for their individual cases.

Half a day passed without real action and Natsu was stuck reviewing old cases. The city of Magnolia was one of the top cities with not much crimes happening but when they do, boy do the bad guys go all out. Usually, they were just the usual cases of lost dog - or some kind of pet, a belonging that was found near the station or whatnot, and the most bland of them all, a lost child. Natsu hated dealing with lost children.

While he loved his co-worker's daughter, Asuka with everything he has, it didn't erase the fact that children were lousy and moody beings. _He_ was lousy and moody, and having to deal with someone with the same behavior as him, he would surely die. He could barely even take care of himself.

It was around mid-afternoon when a blonde-haired woman walked through the precinct door. Her hair was disheveled and bags were forming below her eyes. Natsu looked at her and grinned, thinking that she must have been mugged or was dealing with an abusive boyfriend.

He motioned for Lisanna to take the lady to him. She sat in front of him and grimaced or maybe was going for a smile but her expression was filled with too much worry and anxiousness that her lips seemed to forget how to form an upward curve.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, hesitant now that she was in front of him. Upon closer inspection, she looked pretty, something that Natsu didn't usually notice. There were leftover bits of eye shadow on her eye lids and he could sniff out the faint smell of hair products when she brushed her hair out of her shoulders.

"My manuscript is gone." The lady spoke. To Natsu, her voice was oddly familiar though he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he had heard it before. "Last time I saw it was about four days ago when I was leaving the office."

"Manuscript?" Natsu echoed, starting to get bored of her. If it wasn't anything so dire, he didn't want anything to do with it.

"Yes, manuscript. It's for my story." She answered. "I was trying to get it published and I just got it back from my copy reader because I was having it checked but I forgot where I put it. I'm afraid that someone would find it and try to publish it under their own name. I worked hard on it for more than a year now."

"What the hell?" He muttered before sighing. "How boring."

Natsu opened his desk drawer to pull out the application for lost things when he heard a sudden _bang_ against his table.

"What do you mean, boring?!" The lady exclaimed. Her eyes flared with energy and her hair flowed from her sudden outburst. Natsu decided he liked her like this better than when she looked so sullen. "Can I see the Captain?!"

"Whoa, miss." They both looked up to see a black-haired man whose hair should have been too long for a cop. "I'll take over your case. This idiot doesn't have a clear sense of priorities."

The woman sighed and turned to glare at Natsu before following Gajeel to his desk.

"So what's this manuscript about?" Natsu heard Gajeel ask. Natsu clicked his tongue before zoning out. Guess today was another bout of failure for him. Well, Gray didn't catch any perp either which spelled good news to him.

Natsu zoned out for the rest of the day, opting to gaze at Lisanna's smooth movements as she arranged stacks of papers that littered the front desk. Looking at her now, he wondered why they never went anywhere beyond platonic friendship. Though he does remember how Lisanna harbored deep romantic feelings for him for a good few years of their high school and college days before she went out with that jerk that broke her heart.

A sudden shrill from the precinct's mini kitchen shook him from his daze, the timer signaled the end for whatever their resident wannabe-cook, Mira, was making. He blinked, glancing at Gajeel's table to see the woman who lost her manuscript standing up, shaking the metal head's hand with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Detective Redfox." The blonde-haired woman said, aggressively shaking the detective's hand.

Gajeel stood up, stuffing his other hand inside his pant's pocket. "I'll contact you as soon as there's anything new with your manuscript." He let go of the woman's hand before fishing around his back pockets and retrieving his wallet. He took out a business card and handed it to the lady. "Actually, my girlfriend's an editor of a publishing company. If you don't have a publisher yet, maybe you should give her a call."

Natsu noticed how the blonde-haired lady's eyes sparkled at the mention of an editor. Why, Natsu could never hope to know. Sighing, he shook his head. Maybe he shouldn't have been as harsh to her. He became a detective not to compete with Gray but to help people and what he did just before didn't reflect his best intentions.

He stood up to apologize to the woman but she was already gone. Natsu turned to Gajeel's desk to find him already processing the woman's case.

Mira, the Captain's assistant, approached his table and told him to go to the Captain's office while giving him the cookie that was fresh out of the microwave. He obliged, hoping that Gramps had something fresh about his case.

"Natsu, how's your perp count?" Gramps asked. His grayish hair seemed to be receding more and more as the days passed. Natsu couldn't really blame the old man though, seeing as their precinct was pretty much notorious for its problematic detectives.

"I'm getting there Gramps." Natsu grinned, sitting himself down on the chair opposite of the Captain's desk even without being invited to do so. "I'm one perp ahead of Ice Brains and I'm planning on working harder to keep it that way and eventually take it further."

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that, young man." Gramps said. On his desk was a brown folder with the force's logo. Below it was the word _Confidential_ written in bold, black letters. "However, I'd like to remind you that dealing with problems like lost manuscripts are also our responsibilities which means that it's also our priority to settle them."

Natsu groaned. He should've known he was being called for a lecture.

"Yeah, yeah. I realize that. I was gonna go and apologize to her but she was already gone."

"Good. I admire your drive but do keep in mind that even the small things can escalate to serious and alarming situations." The Captain's lips twisted upward in a small smile, the wrinkles around his mouth making themselves known. "Anyway, I didn't call you here for a talk about your behavior. Duke Everloo will be coming to our city in a few months and I would like you to take a look at the security measures. Erza will be busy with planning your undercover case with Gajeel and Gray will be trailing over the Duke himself by the start of the pageant. Which leaves you to the planning of outside security. It's wider and more your area than anything else."

Natsu grinned. Finally, some action. "Do you have the details already?"

Gramps nodded and handed him the folder that was sitting on his desk. "Everything's inside. We are expecting the Duke by early June so make sure you get everything done before that. I expect a full report before the end of May. You and Gray are in-charge should anything go south."

The old man dismissed him and Natsu made to go back to his desk to look over the details of the visit. He glanced over the notice board for anything new. There, on the very center, was the case Gajeel was currently handling.

_**ATTENTION: LOST MANUSCRIPT**_

_**DESCRIPTION:**_ _120 PAGES OF A4 SIZED PAPERS STUFFED INSIDE A MANILA ENVELOPE_

_**LAST SEEN:**_ _4 DAYS AGO, 2ND OF APRIL X784, PLACE UNKNOWN_

_**IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL 788-0999 OR RETURN TO THE 99TH PRECINCT OF MAGNOLIA.**_

Natsu sighed, still not over the idea of not being able to apologize to the lady. He got back to his desk and opened the folder. Grimacing, he ripped the face of Duke Everloo's ugly mug off of the files and threw it on the trash can beside him.

"I feel ya, what a piece of trash, right?" Natsu looked up to see Laxus, the precinct's sergeant and scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm thankful for the action his visit is giving me but I'm not exactly thrilled to see his face again so soon." Natsu grumbled. "I mean, the man was charged for rape, he should've been in jail instead of loitering around the streets like a goddamn royal."

"I agree, though what can we do? The man _is_ a royal." Laxus said, before leaving to sip his coffee peacefully on his desk.

Natsu sighed and finished looking through the file for the duke's visit. Apparently, he was here for a photo shoot with the contestants for Ms. Fiore and some advertisements. Right, he was the royal family's laughing stock which meant that he wasn't really given any real responsibilities.

Grabbing his notepad, Natsu wrote several of the things that he has to take care of before planning anything concrete for the event. By the time he finished, the sun's setting was beginning to paint the sky a mixture of red, yellow, and orange, making the sky look multi-hued.

He stood up, grabbing his leather jacket that was hanging off the precinct's rack and bidding his good byes and see-you-tomorrow's to the people inside the precinct.

By the time he reached his apartment, Happy was already making a fuss because of Natsu leaving him without a fresh fish and a bowl of water. He seriously needs to take better care of the cat if he wanted his Russian Blue pet to last a while longer.

Reaching the kitchen, he took out a plastic container that had fish inside and left it out to thaw before giving it to Happy. Flopping down on his couch, he brought his legs up to rest on the table before fishing his back pockets for his phone. Natsu called _Max's Pizza_ for his weekly doze of cheap pizza before turning the TV on to watch while he waited.

Switching from channel to channel, Natsu's eyes drifted to and from the TV. There wasn't anything new on the news that he hadn't heard of while he was at the precinct and he wasn't a big fan of television dramas. His eyes scanned the wide condominium before it landed on the envelope that was securely sitting on his coffee table.

Then, he was reminded of the blonde-haired woman frantically thanking Gajeel for helping her find her manuscript.

He didn't understand how something like a manuscript could bring so much worry in the woman's face. Was it her only copy? She did say that she was trying to get it published for a few months now. If so, she must be dumb for only having a single copy. In today's generation, physical copies were only printed out for formality.

Thinking about the woman's face painted with uneasiness, it finally dawned on him. The manila envelope on his coffee table might just be it. Now that he realized it, the woman did drop her file about four or five nights ago. But, the woman had brown hair. The girl at the precinct had golden, halo-like strands.

Natsu picked up the envelope and examined it, finding out that it did match the rather vague description that the golden-haired woman provided.

Sighing, he decided to drop it off the precinct by his next shift, figuring that it would do nobody any good if it just sat in his condominium alone for days on end.

* * *

The precinct was abuzz when he sat down at his desk after clocking in. It was barely ten minutes to his shift and everybody was already so busy. Natsu placed the envelope inside one of his desk drawers for safe-keeping before handing it out to Gajeel so that he wouldn't confuse it with other work-related documents.

Speaking of the devil, Gajeel emerged from the break room with a coffee-filled MPD-issued mug on his hand and a croissant on the other. Raising his hand, Natsu was about to call for Gajeel when Laxus, their Sergeant, called him.

"Dragneel, take Fullbuster with you." The scarred man's deep voice was imposing even for Natsu, making him nod without question. "There's a hostage situation at 2nd, Sergeant Scarlet and her partner, Jellal are already there but you're requested for back-up."

Natsu placed his gun in his holster before fetching the keys from Gray's desk. By the time they arrived, Magnolia Central Bank was already surrounded with police, medic, and even firefighter vehicles, making it hard for the pair to score a proper spot.

"Update?" Gray immediately asked Jellal, Erza's partner who was a former fugitive turned cop because of a pardon.

"Seeing as this is one of Magnolia's biggest banks, the hostage's number is quite large." Jellal said, his hand on his gun. "There are approximately a thirty workers inside, probably twenty or so civilians, and ten guards."

"You don't sound sure," Natsu growled. "You guys have been here for about an hour now, how come you don't have anything definite?"

"The negotiator's a new guy." Jellal answered as if that made everything make sense.

"Have him come back, my partner will do it." Natsu said, pointing to Gray who was quietly observing the situation.

"We can't, unless he has the training." Jellal refused. "This is a big case, we can't leave it to someone who doesn't have the knowledge to take on something like this."

"I can do it." Gray nodded, turning his attention to the blue-haired man. "I'm originally a crisis negotiator and I was one for a few years. I'm quite good at it if I say so myself."

"We already have a negotiator inside, man. There's no need to send another guy."

"Have Warren come back and send Detective Fullbuster in." A woman's voice interrupted the conversation turning argument between the three. They all turned to Erza, barking orders left and right for the sudden change of negotiators. "Get him a bulletproof vest patch for negotiator."

"Erza," Jellal breathed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Gray's a prodigy. There's no need to worry."

Natsu and Gray grinned, pleased to have Erza on their side for once. Gray was handed a bulletproof vest that said _Negotiator_ on the front while Warren was being asked out. A few minutes passed before Gray was sent in.

To Natsu, it's always the waiting that sucks during hostage and bombing situations like this. Not because it made him bored but because every second they wasted waiting could be used for actually doing something productive to rescue the hostages. Every minute they waited, the closer the people inside the building were to death's doors. But being a detective for years now taught him that sometimes, waiting was crucial.

Although that didn't make Natsu's restlessness ease itself. It made itself known through the constant stomping of his foot while he crouched down behind their police-issued car. Waiting like this made Natsu want to be a negotiator and be the one to be inside the very building that was on the verge of collapse but he knew himself well enough to know that he wouldn't have the patience for something like that. He _was_ more of an action guy, after all.

Gray was out again before they all knew it, his hands up in the air before joining Natsu and the others. "There's thirty employees there, just like Warren said. But there are fewer customers seeing as it's still only early morning. I counted and there are only sixteen people and eight guards."

Erza nodded, jotting down everything on her flip-note. "Their demands?"

"The usual." Gray said. "Money and letting them go scot-free from here. There's nothing to negotiate about, they're pretty close-minded and they don't mind hurting the hostages."

"Do you have any idea who they may be?" Jellal asked to which Gray nodded.

"I've been to many hostage situations and their style is similar to the way Tartaros do their stuff." Gray pointed out. "I'm sure this is one of their lackeys."

"Course of action, detectives?" A uniformed officer asked the four of them.

"Yes, send Gray in again after a few minutes." Erza ordered. "I need you to distract them while we take them out from the inside. We'll infiltrate through the back."

"Don't you think they would expect that?" Jellal asked.

"No, not usually." Natsu shook his head. "The department takes negotiations very seriously and focus on it if we can make do with their demands but this is something that's too big to let go."

"Fine," Jellal said. "But we're only sending a small number of people. We can't go. They've seen us and it'll be suspicious if we suddenly disappeared. Natsu, call for Gajeel and have him lead the uniformed officers."

Natsu nodded his head, turning to his radio. "4253, you're asked for on 2nd for a 707. Don't let yourself be seen by the bombers."

A second later, Gajeel's voice sounded from the radio. "10-4."

Turning to Jellal, Natsu nodded his head. "He's on his way."

Not long, Gajeel was on the scene and was simultaneously deployed to the back of the bank while Gray went back inside to begin negotiating.

Everything was quiet aside from the whispers of nosy pedestrian and police officers trying to get them to walk away or to at least step away from the _caution_ ribbons.

Before they knew it, the hostages were starting to pile out from the entrance of the bank with their hands on the back of their heads while they were being led out by a few uniformed officers.

"Where are detectives Fullbuster and Redfox?" Erza asked one uniformed cop.

"They're still inside, tying down the bastards."

'

The three nodded their heads. "All units, on high alert!" Erza barked out. Gajeel and Gray were going out, escorting seven individuals with bizarre outifts.

"I guess even the terrorists experience spending problems." Natsu joked. "Figured they'd run out of funds sooner or later what with all the illegal shopping they've been doing."

"Bomb squad, deploy." Jellal calmly ordered. The said people were about to go inside the bank when all seven bombers laughed.

"To and for the Emperor!" They all shouted before a series of explosions erupted from inside the building, sending debris all over the surrounding area.

"Take cover!" Natsu shouted, grabbing Gray's shirt and ducking behind the car for protection.

When the shower of rock and splinters finished, the once glorified looking building of Magnolia Central Bank was degraded to something like remnants of history.

"Shit." Natsu grumbled as he looked at the bodies covered in rocks and blood lying on the street.

"Just how big is this thing really?" Erza wondered out loud as she looked at the dead remains of the terrorists.

* * *

When they got back to the precinct, Erza called for an emergency meeting at the briefing room in ten minutes.

While waiting, Natsu decided to take a sitting break on his desk and get his head together before the meeting.

"I talked with a hostage and turns out the terrorists from today was actually a secret organization under the name Avatar. They've been on the run for a few years now but have been very subtle about their movements that the police hasn't caught wind of them yet." Erza started, letting a picture pop from the television behind her that showed the seven people from today's bombing incident. "Which makes it weird that they suddenly come out on the open like that."

"From this, and by the way they conducted the hostage situation, we're thinking they may be working under Tartaros." Gray butted in. "From our little encounters with Tartaros members, they call their leader Emperor which was something that the Avatar members from today voiced just before they blew out the building."

"Are there any survivors?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, actually." Erza said, clicking the mouse on her hand. "This is Mary, the youngest member of Avatar and the lone survivor. The official statement was that everybody was dead for her protection but she's currently in intensive care and we will conduct interrogations once she's well enough."

"This is a new lead." Gray said. "May this take us somewhere."

"Meeting adjourned." Erza called out.

Everybody nodded in unison. Before taking a seat on his desk, Natsu proceeded to the break room for a caffeine break. It wasn't even noon yet and a lot of shit was already piling up one after another.

"Lisanna," Natsu smiled at the receptionist who was sitting at one of the chairs by the table. "Whoa, are you dealing with shitty criminals too?" Natsu joked, pointing to the two mugs of caffeine sitting in front of her at the table.

Lisanna laughed before handing one of the mugs to Natsu. "This is yours. I thought it's almost time for your coffee break and I was having one so I figured I might as well make you one too."

"Thanks!" Natsu smiled, taking the caffeine-filled mug and drinking it with much gusto.

"Busy?" Lisanna inquired.

"Yeah, though I think you shouldn't ask unless you wanna get in trouble." Natsu jested before ruffling her hair. "Anyway, gotta go. Thanks for the drink."

Natsu was about to go back to his desk to start working on his report when he saw the blonde-haired woman sitting in front of Gajeel's desk. He hurriedly walked to his desk to take out the envelope he brought with him to have her give it a look when Gajeel reappeared from the back with a bunch of manila envelopes piled on his arms.

Figuring that her manuscript must be one of those piled on Gajeel's arms, Natsu closed his desk drawer and started working on his written report about today's incident.

When he hasn't even written more than a few sentences, Natsu was already feeling dread seep into his skin, into his brain, and eventually, all the way to his bones. He was about to give up on the report when his radio sounded.

"We've got a 487." The officer from the radio informed. "Suspect's turning down 8th. Anybody copy?"

Springing up, Natsu grabbed his radio. "Dragneel here, 10-4!" He answered even though he wasn't a responding officer anymore.

* * *

Natsu went back to the precinct with the shoplifter in tow, before throwing him to the cell.

"Looks like I'm two perps ahead of you, ice-dick." Natsu smirked at Gray who was still working on the incident from this morning from the briefing room.

"Only because I've been holed up inside this fucking room, trying to solve bigger issues."

"Still, a perp's a perp."

Natsu went back to his desk to continue his dreaded report when the blonde-haired woman smiled sadly, shaking Gajeel's hand. "Thanks for trying, detective."

"I'll call you when there's more." Gajeel said, gathering the pile of envelopes in his arms again before turning around.

Before Natsu could say anything, the blonde woman was already walking away.

"Hey, didn't you find her manuscript or whatever?" Natsu asked Gajeel.

"Nah,"

Natsu piqued at the mention of the still missing manuscript. He ran back to his desk to grab the envelope from the drawer before catching up to the blonde-haired woman.

"Hey, it's me." Natsu said, smiling at the woman to try and have her warm up to him just like how she did with Gajeel. "I'm sorry for my attitude last time, I was just having an uneventful day."

The woman before him blinked before smiling. "It was fine. Do you need anything, sir?"

"Well, I noticed you looking at piles of envelope a while ago. How many batches did Gajeel show you?"

"Gajeel?" She asked, tilting her head in a way Natsu never once thought to be cute before. Until her. "You mean Detective Redfox?"

Natsu nodded his head, waiting for her to answer him. "Well, he took out all the envelopes from the storage so around ten batches."

"And your manuscript wasn't there?"

The woman shook her head in response.

"Well, it's a far shot but could this possibly be yours?" Natsu asked, handing her the envelope in his hand.

She took it and ran her hand on it's cover before opening it and taking out its contents. She gasped before looking at Natsu, tears brimming her eyes.

"This is mine!" She exclaimed, pulling Natsu in a hug. "Oh, thank you, detective! Where did you find it?"

"I found it at the entrance of my condominium." Natsu answered, patting her back. "It's a relief we found it though I'll need proof it's yours."

"Gladly." She smiled, taking out her wallet for to get an identification card. She then showed Natsu the papers in her hands and pointed to the very bottom of the first page. "See? It says _Lucy Heartfilia._ That's my name."

"I'm happy you found it then." Natsu smiled, scratching the back of his neck in apprehension for his next words. "Are you free later tonight? I wanna apologize properly for my behavior last time."

"Well, I am detective. Though I'm plenty satisfied with you finding my manuscript for me." She smiled.

"I insist, though."

"Then, I guess tonight would be my way of saying thank you."

Natsu grinned, harder and wider than he ever has before. "Meet you at Sakura Park by 6?"

She nodded her head. "Kindly tell Detective Redfox about my no longer missing manuscript, Detective..?"

"Natsu, call me Natsu." He offered his hand for her to take.

"Lucy, then." She shook his hand and for the first time, Natsu couldn't help but be aware of how calloused his hand must be and how rough it must feel against her silk-like hand. "Just Lucy."

* * *

"I'm sorry for not returning your manuscript as soon as I saw it." Natsu apologized for the third time that night. "The manuscript was dropped by some woman with brown hair so I didn't really think it'd be yours."

It was already ten minutes past nine in the evening and Natsu offered to walk Lucy home and so here they were, walking together while the city slept. As they walked, Natsu couldn't help but think that they must live close together seeing as if they just walked a few more minutes, they would be arrive at his building.

"Well, I do wear wigs from time to time for photo shoots and stuff." Lucy giggled, curling more into herself to keep the cold from clinging to her. "Wait, were you that pink haired guy who was standing beside my building's receptionist about a week ago?"

Natsu's eyes widened at Lucy's words. "You were that brown haired girl?!"

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes filling with excitement for reasons unknown to Natsu. "Oh man, you live in my building?!"

"Damn, I can't believe this!" Natsu barked out a laugh at the coincidence of it all. "I was just thinking about how we must live close to each other!"

Lucy laughed out loud without any care for the people resting safely inside their homes. Once they were inside the building, Lucy greeted Maximo and chatted with him while Natsu waited for the elevator to go down.

Once inside the elevator, Natsu asked Lucy which floor she stops at. "16th." She simply says and Natsu's eyes widen for the nth number of time that night.

"No way," He whispered, pressing the floor number that they both share.

"What, don't tell me you live there as well?"

"I do!"

"I cannot believe this." Lucy chuckled, shaking her head.

Once the elevator door opened, Natsu was about to say goodbye to Lucy when he saw that she was eyeing the way to his room as well. "Which way are you?" He decided to ask first.

"Left, you?"

"Same."

Lucy groaned, palming her forehead. "How is it possible that we live so near yet never run to each other?"

Natsu opted not to answer her question and simply shrugged, leading the way to their rooms. They walked silently until Lucy stopped infront of a door that said 306. "Well, this is me. Good night and thanks for today."

Natsu remained still, making Lucy tilt her head in confusion. "I live right next to you," He informed her, pointing to the next door over that said 307. "I cannot believe this!"

Lucy laughed, clearly not surprised anymore at the news. "I figured we did seeing as my room is the second to the last one of the corridor. I feel safe knowing that I have a detective who lives right next to me."

Natsu couldn't help but smile at Lucy's words. "Well, I don't think I can sleep tonight knowing that there's a beautiful woman sleeping at the room next to mine." He joked before bidding her a goodnight and a promise of seeing each other tomorrow.


	2. Code 2

_**8 MONTHS AND 2 WEEKS AWAY**_

* * *

Fairy Tail was packed tonight as well but unlike any other days, cops and detectives of the ninety-ninth precinct were littering the place, moving around the bar like they owned the area. And in a way, they kind of do. The bar was owned by the Captain's family and has been passed down from one generation to the other. Soon, the place would go to their sergeant, Laxus.

The officers and detectives pranced around with brimful mugs on their hands with a sense of ownership oozing out of their very beings, their chests puffed and heads raised with the confidence that comes with being in a familiar and home-like place.

Natsu downed his mug and slammed it back to the table, startling his friends who were currently talking amongst themselves. "I'm so sick of hearing about your sexual adventures!" He shouted, hanging his head against the edge of the couch. The sudden movement caused a sudden pang of headache to form inside his head, making him close his eyes in pain.

"Then just go to Lisanna, I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to take you in." Gajeel snickered. "And I mean that in every sense of the word."

"Hey, man. Not cool." Elfman smacked Gajeel right across the chest with enough power to knock an ordinary man out but Gajeel just laughed it out. "That's my sister we're talking about."

"Sorry, but I agree with metal-head." Gray leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest, the brooding look on his face never leaving even with alcohol pouring through his veins. "She's been in love with this idiot for as long as I can remember."

Natsu opened his eyes and sighed at the sight greeting him. Lisanna was laughing at something Cana said, her head thrown back in glee while her eyes were shut tight, the crinkles in her eyes appearing as she gave up on controlling her emotions. She was smacking the table with so much force that the drinks were spilling from their containers but no one seemed to care.

Maybe he should? Lisanna's a great girl and she was the most sincere girl who liked him not only for his body or face. She actually likes him for who he is despite his imperfections and she's been with him throughout his whole life that he thinks she's the girl that he can't live without.

"Why don't you give her a chance?" Elfman spoke, surprising everyone. Natsu looked away from the view and turned his head to Elfman, his mouth dropping in disbelief. "What, she really likes you and I don't think you're that bad of a guy. You'd be good together."

Natsu closed his mouth, pondering the older man's suggestion. Then, he nodded his head. "Okay, the next time she confesses."

Everyone scoffed, making Natsu grunt. "Leave it to a dumb-ass like you to let her do the first move."

"I want her to be the one to tell me how she really feels!" Natsu exclaimed. "I don't want to confess to her and make her feel like it's her responsibility to accept my feelings and actually go out with me."

Natsu's phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket. It lit up in a reminder to pick up Lucy from the company.

**7 PM : PICK LUCY UP IF YOU DON'T WANT HER WALKING AROUND DANGEROUS PLACES**

He smiled at the way Lucy had set the alarm, his mind suddenly free of the alcohol that was buzzing in his system just a while ago. It's only been more than a month since the two started hanging out but Natsu already feels like he had known the blonde beauty for most of his life.

Ever since Natsu found out that the company Lucy was working at is about two blocks away from the precinct, he started offering her rides to and from work whenever their schedules aligned but after a week, it easily became an everyday routine for the two of them and Natsu found himself waking an hour earlier to drive Lucy to work and spending less time at Fairy Tail to pick her up.

"Are you sure about that, flame-brain?" Gray asked, his eyebrows raised. "She might not have the courage to do that anymore."

Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "Do what? Walk around in dangerous areas? She's hella strong man, she can handle herself." Natsu laughed, grabbing his backpack from the couch before wearing his jacket again. "Believe me, her kicks hurt like a bitch."

"What are you talking about?" Gajeel scoffed.

"What?" Natsu laughed, pulling out a few dollars from his wallet and throwing it on the table. "Anyways, I'm off."

Before Natsu could leave the table to bid goodbye to the girls, the guys smirked at him before looking at each other.

"Lucy." They said in unison, making Natsu shiver.

"Don't even try laying a hand on her or else I'll fucking kill all of you."

"Oh, believe me, no one's planning that except for one oblivious person." Laxus smirked, shooing Natsu away.

* * *

Natsu pulled his face away from the computer to look at the clock and grinned when it told him that it was already time for him to go. Stretching, he adjusted his holster on his chest before standing up to grab his leather jacket.

He pulled at his tie to straighten it, lest he wants Lucy to pull at it again in frustration. He used to hate his police uniform because they were blue and too form-fitting but now that he was a detective, he didn't need to wear it unlike the uniformed officers, which made him feel ecstatic until a few months ago because Lucy would pull at his hair when he didn't dress well.

"_A kindergartner does a better job. Honestly, Natsu._" She'd tease while she untangled his tie and re-tied it. As they got to know each other after that night, Natsu found out a few stuff about her that was probably too personal for someone that you wouldn't call a friend which led him to believe that the two of them were now the best of friends.

After a few months of hanging out occasionally, Natsu couldn't help but have the need to see her almost everyday which led to him picking her up after work and driving her home. At least, that was enough for Natsu until two months ago. When he found out that Lucy doesn't watch anything other than romantic movies, he insisted that they watch his favorite movie at her house and when she found out the only romantic movie Natsu had ever seen was the Titanic, she annoyed him into watching Flipped, her favorite movie.

From then on, it became kind of like a habit to spend their Friday nights together doing anything. They would sometimes watch movies, play games, or when Lucy was busy with her novel, Natsu would lounge around her apartment like a fool and wait until she hits her head on the table, knocked-out, and carry her to bed.

Natsu looked at his phone and his grin widened, it was a Friday today which meant that he gets to sleep over at Lucy's if she wasn't busy with her work. He exclaimed he was leaving before approaching the front desk to bid Lisanna goodbye as well.

"Lis, I'm done for the day." Natsu smiled, patting Lisanna's head and making her giggle. "See ya."

Before he could turn around, Lisanna caught Natsu's arm on her head and she looked up at him with round, sparkling eyes. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"It's a Friday, Lis." Natsu smiled, not sensing Lisanna's disappointment in the slightest. "And Lucy's out early today so she's waiting for me."

"But, Fairy Tail is where we go after work."

"Let him go, Lisanna." Gray approached the two with his fifth cup of coffee on his hand. "The man's head is filled with thoughts of Lucy now, you can't do anything about it anymore."

"Shut up, Gray." Natsu spat, making Gray laugh and walk away.

Natsu turned to Lisanna but before he could talk, she smiled at him and nodded her head in the direction of the break room. "Can we talk?"

"Sure but can we make it fast? Lucy's waiting for me." Natsu scratched his head and glumly followed Lisanna to the break room.

They both sat down at the only table at the room that wasn't collapsing or being eaten by insects. Natsu tapped his hand against the table in agitation.

"You never spend time with us anymore, Natsu." Lisanna said, her eyes on his hand as they made tapping noises. "You don't talk to us, to me, anymore. Ever since Lucy."

Natsu's movements halted, his eyes focused on Lisanna. "That's not true, Lis. I always spend most of my Saturday nights with you guys. I even went last night to Fairy Tail!" He smiled, throwing his hands up in the air as if it was something to be proud of.

"That's only because Lucy was running late last night and you had nothing else to do."

"I don't see what the problem is with that."

Natsu could see Lisanna's teeth clench and he figured that might be the wrong thing to say but he couldn't help it, he truly didn't see anything wrong with it.

"Your world is revolving around Lucy!" Lisanna exclaimed, and she lifted her head to look at Natsu for the first time. Her eyes were blazing with fire that Natsu didn't know Lisanna could possess. Her eyebrows were furrowed in frustration and her nose flared in response. "That's the problem!"

Natsu tilted his head yet again, the confusion that he feels doesn't seem to want to simmer down even when Lisanna spelled it out for him already. Even with her blatantly telling him what she was apparently mad about, he still couldn't see what the problem was.

"I-I don't understand."

Lisanna scoffed, turning away from him and leaning back on her chair with enough force to make it squeak in retaliation. "Of course you don't."

"Could you explain it more?"

Lisanna whipped her head to meet Natsu's eyes and expected him to flinch like he used to when she was upset with him but he remained still and uncaring in his posture. She sighed before she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Look, ever since you met Lucy, you haven't been hanging out with us as much." Lisanna said, her voice low and clearly upset. "You haven't been talking with me as much as you used to and I hate it."

"Oh,"

"Yes, and I feel jealous that Lucy's taking away all your attention because they used to be mine." Lisanna said, her voice cracking. "I like you, Natsu. I have since high school and I know you may think I stopped liking you when I started dating Hibiki last year but the moment we broke up, you were the one who was there for me and I realized right then and there that I want to be the one who's going to be by your side at all times." She wasn't looking at his eyes now, Lisanna's gaze transfixed at the table. "I really, really, utterly, like you with everything I've got."

Natsu froze, his breath caught on his throat. He suddenly remembered his conversation with the guys last night. This was his opportunity. He was going to have a girlfriend after their talk.

_Tell her you like her as well._

_Tell her you've been watching her like a hawk every time she looks away._

_Tell her you want her as much as she wants you._

Natsu was about to open his mouth to answer Lisanna when a heart-wrenching thought entered his mind and pierced his heart.

_Tell her every single thing you want to say to Lucy._

No, he can't do it. He loved Lisanna with all of his heart, sure. How can he not when she's been there for him every step of the way?

She was there for him when he was feeling lost when he lost his mom. She was there for him when he was at the edge of his seat, waiting for the results of his application to the academy. Heck, she was even at his side while he cried himself to sleep when he lost all of his unsaved game process.

They've been together for the good and ugly parts of their lives. He was even the one who had bought her first pack of tampons. He was there for her when she was suffering from menstrual cramps, sitting beside her uselessly while she grumbled in pain. He was the one who took her to all the zoos she loved so much once they were old enough because Mira and Elfman were away in college.

Looking back at it now, Lisanna wasn't always in love with him like she was now in contradiction to everyone's statements although they did have some kind of spark between them for forever. But that's what it all was. A spark. Natsu wouldn't deny that he did dance around the idea of dating Lisanna and what it felt like to kiss her senseless but it ended just as suddenly as it had started. It just sounded so wrong in so many levels to think of sweet, innocent, little Lisanna like that.

Natsu was the one who hooked Lisanna to the job she has now because her boyfriend at the time cheated on her and she couldn't bear to look at him everyday but it couldn't be helped seeing as they were co-workers. Then, an idea hit Natsu. What better way for him to keep an eye on Lisanna than when she's working at the same place as him?

And so here they were, a year and a half later. Her, proclaiming her love for him while he was unsure of what his heart was telling him.

The bond they shared overcame the test of time and all the shitty things life threw at their way. They trusted and loved each other but the love Lisanna was willing to give him was different from what Natsu was giving away.

It's not like he didn't understand where the white-haired girl was coming from. Here she was, minding her own business like usual, probably wondering whether today was finally the day that her long-time best friend turned crush is going to confess and if not then that's fine because they have all of the time in the world.

They were each other's rock and foundation for the better part of their lives, she surely must've thought that nothing was going to come between them. Lisanna must have thought that no other girl should have been capable of opening Natsu's heart and bringing out this soft side of him like she could. Heck, even Natsu thought the same thing up until the moment he walked Lucy back to her building the first night they had dinner together only to find out that they live right next to each other.

What Lisanna felt was completely justifiable, in Natsu's opinion. If he had loved Lisanna the way she wanted him to, even he would be furious if some guy just appears out of nowhere and capture her heart.

He wanted to give them a chance once and for all if only to see whether they would work or not but that was just cruel. Natsu was sure that if he were to voice it out to Lisanna, she would agree in a heartbeat because that's just how kind and open she was but no matter how much he tried to get the words out, Lucy's smiling face would appear in his mind.

See, there she is again. Lucy. He still didn't understand what he felt for the blonde and until he sorted that all out, dating Lisanna was out of the question. Maybe if they had done all this confession thing a year earlier, Natsu would have been on-board but now, the thought of Lucy plagued his very soul.

If he were to tell Lisanna he reciprocated her feelings, it would just be unfair to both parties involved. He'd be lying to the both of them and he was sure that if they were to date from here on out, the only thought that would occupy his mind would be what if would feel like if Lucy was the one who was with him then.

Natsu sighed and shook his head. He brought his head down to look at his fingers, feeling a sudden longing to brush them through Lucy's angel-like hair. Natsu sighed and faced Lisanna.

"I'm sorry, Lis." Natsu smiled and leaned against the table. "I like you, you know but not the way you want me to. There are plenty of other guys there and I'm sure they can give you what you truly deserve."

"Is this because of Lucy?"

"No, of course not." Natsu shook his head. "She's my best friend." He said it without hesitation, as if it was something that was normally said in front of a girl who spent her whole life beside him.

Natsu reached out to brush Lisanna's hand against his and she let him. "Now, I have to go before Lucy throws a fit and doesn't let me in her house this evening. She's pretty scary when she wants to be."

Lisanna sighed and pulled her hands away from Natsu even though she didn't want to. "Go, thanks for your time."

Natsu grinned and patted her head one last time before leaving in a hurry.

* * *

When he pulled to a stop in front of the company Lucy was working at, he immediately made a dash for it and reached the lobby with two minutes to spare. The woman at the lobby smiled at him much like she does everyday when he goes inside and waits for Lucy to go down.

Natsu sat down at one of the couches and sunk into the soft mattress. Seconds turned to minutes and no Lucy was coming down from the emergency stairs with her hair disheveled or getting out from the elevator with a crazed look on her eyes.

He was getting bored with the magazines that the company leaves out in the table in front of the couch for guests to flip through and the snacks were running out. He put down the magazine that he was currently holding and picked up a new one to rummage through. He was about to open it when the girl on the front cover captured his attention.

Now, he wasn't one who liked to ogle at girls wearing practically nothing while they smiled and posed for the camera but this girl was wearing a two-piece bikini that shared the same as color as Natsu's hair. She was on all fours with her back arched and warm brown eyes stirring stuff up in Natsu's gut. Natsu couldn't take his eyes off of the way her golden hair framed her face. He could feel himself getting worked up until he pieced everything together and realized that it was Lucy on the cover.

He pulled his wandering eyes away from Lucy's figure and scanned the cover.

_**"Lucy Heartfilia appears yet again to capture the hearts of men and women alike! This time, she talks about living the life of a writer!"**_ was written at the left side of the magazine.

_His_ Lucy was posing like a fucking goddess in front of a cameraman, eyes burning with lust and plump lips ready to be ravished and he didn't know. _His_ Lucy was being asked to try various erotic poses to be printed and placed right on the very cover of a magazine for all men to see.

He stood up in rage and was about to demand the receptionist to give him a fucking explanation about why their publishing company was having Lucy pose like a goddamn sex machine for everyone to see when his phone rang inside his pocket.

"What?" He spat at his phone's receiver, uncaring for the person on the other side of the line. His head was floating with the image of his best friend on the most daring pose of all time and too filled with questions that boggled his sanity to no end. How could somebody have the nerve to interrupt him when he was about to lose his mind?

"Oof, stuck on a case?" Lucy's honey-dipped words sounded from the speakers and Natsu felt his anger and frustrations dissipating like a mist with the onslaught of harsh winds. "Just calling to tell you I'm at Sun Street with Levy, we're talking about the manuscript over coffee. I'll send you my location."

Without even giving him enough time to breathe out a sigh, she was gone, cutting off the phone call without a word of goodbye. A second later, his phone dinged in notification with a picture of Lucy's whereabouts.

Natsu shoved his phone inside his pocket and caught sight of the magazine that infuriated him in the first place. Letting out a huge groan and startling the lady who worked the front desk, Natsu stormed out of Lucy's company building without another word.

* * *

Parking in front of the cafe that Lucy and Levy regularly frequents, he wondered how they could not get sick of the place with its boring, easy to burn wooden edges and antique frames. He got out of the car and leaned by the door as he sent Lucy a text telling her of his arrival.

Within a minute, the door to the cafe opened and out came a blue haired girl about half the size of Natsu's cousin, Gajeel. He nodded to the woman and opened the back door to his car for her but she shook her head and smiled as she neared him.

"I'm meeting Gajeel at Fairy Tail, you guys can go ahead." Levy said as she motioned for Natsu to close the door of his car. "Lucy's still at the bathroom. Gajeel told me about how your transfer is just a few months away, you should treasure the time you can spend with your girlfriend."

Natsu felt his eyes twitch at the way Levy snickered at her own teasing. "You know she ain't my girlfriend, Levy."

"Yet," Levy finished for him. "She isn't your girlfriend yet. Want to know why?" Without waiting for him to reply, she said; "Ah, yes, because the next time I see you, she'll be your lover."

With that, she left with a wave of her hand, walking all the way to the bus stop. Natsu breathed out a sigh, exhaustion starting to creep into his bones. Good Lord, the women that he surrounded himself with were not good for his health. They were too smart and witty for their own good.

"Natsu," Turning his head, he saw Lucy approaching him and he felt the waves of fatigue roll out of his body at the sight of her. "Let's go?"

He nodded his head and ran to the passenger side to open the door for her. The car ride home was silent, apart from the Japanese song that was blaring from his speaker; a current obsession of Lucy's.

"What was the meeting all about?" Natsu finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity for a second longer.

"I just finished my manuscript and Levy's editing it." Lucy answered without missing a beat. "I may be a writer but it's my first time writing this kind of stuff so there are a lot of mistakes and inconsistencies. I have to work harder."

"Nah, you're doing great."

Lucy laughed at Natsu's comment. "For you, maybe. I finally landed a deal with Vermillion Books and I'm not going to waste it just because I couldn't produce the quality that they needed."

Natsu stole a quick glance at Lucy and smiled. "Well, I guess there ain't anything left for me to do other than to cheer you on."

"Yeah, you're the best at that."

Arriving at their building, Natsu put the car into park and followed Lucy inside. Natsu hung his leather jacket by the entrance of Lucy's place and kicked off his shoes, replacing them with the fuzzy pair of dragon slippers she got him.

Sneaking a peek at Lucy, he made sure she was out of ear shot and inhaled a large breath of Lucy's place. He's been to her apartment countless of times now but he still can't find himself getting over how unique and comforting Lucy's smell is.

It filled him with warmth and the kind of happiness that can only be associated to the feeling of belonging and security. He looked around, still not having enough brain cells to let the fact of being lucky enough to be graced with her presence.

He sat down at the couch and graced his eyes with the pictures of Lucy's childhood and school days until one picture in particular caught his interest. It was of her with a few college friends and she was drunk off her ass, hooded eyes and parted lips being the dead give away.

The picture snapped his mind back to the magazine he had stolen from Lucy's company and he ran to his backpack to retrieve it. He shoved the thing at the edges of Lucy's couch before trying to stay still like an idiot while waiting for Lucy to be back from changing.

When she got out of her room, her hair was let down and she was already wearing her PJs made from silk, the straps of her bra jutting out from the sheer material of the clothing. He's never noticed it before but Lucy was very comfortable with his presence to the point of not even caring about what she's wearing.

Does she not see that he's a man as well? Does she not see how badly it affects him? How badly it affects his imaginations? His heart? His whole being?

"Well?" Lucy smiled at him as she plopped down at the couch beside him.

"Well what?" Natsu blinked in confusion, still not getting over how beautiful she is.

"Start something!" She laughed.

Natsu gulped. Start something? She's giving him permission to start something? God damn it. Natsu lifted his butt from the couch and extended an arm out to touch Lucy when she slapped his hand away.

"I meant the movie, dumbass." Lucy cackled, pointing to the television that was turned on, Lucy's remote staring at him from the table.

Natsu blinked before letting out a cackle. "Well, duh! I was just joking with you." Natsu surfed the whole channels before stopping at NBC; one of the episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine's Season 7.

Leaning back on the couch, Natsu felt the magazine crumple against his weight and decided there wasn't a better time than the present to ask her about the question that has been nagging him for the last few hours.

"What's your work, really, Luce?"

Lucy turned to him with furrowed brows and a look that silently asked him if he has finally gone crazy from dealing with all the cop work. "We've known each other for months and you ask that now?"

"Yeah, well I know you're a rising writer but aside from that, I don't really understand your field."

She pouted her lips, pondering Natsu's question for a bit with a hum before answering. "I write articles?"

"Really?" Natsu remarked sarcastically. "You know, for someone who works with words you don't seem to be very fluent."

"Oh shut up." Lucy smacked his bicep with her hand before lying down and resting her hand on his thighs. "I mostly write feature and news articles which is why my name is pretty frequent at the monthly and weekly issues of _Fiore Tomorrow_. Not to brag, but I already established a pretty stable name in the industry."

Natsu's eyebrows raised at Lucy's last comment. "Oh, I can see that, all right." He reached behind him and pulled out the magazine that had Lucy at the cover. "Your name must be all over the place."

Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of the magazine and she reached for it but Natsu extended his arm above his head so that she wouldn't be able to take hold of it. "Care to explain?"

"I can't believe you saw one of those." Lucy muttered, burying her face against Natsu's stomach and fisting his shirt in her hands.

"One?" Natsu muttered, trying to look away from the sight of his best friend making a frustrated face against his shirt. "You mean there's more?"

Lucy opened her eyes and glared from beneath him before sitting up, making Natsu regret asking about the magazine. Damn it, she was in the best position and now she's sitting up and so far away from him.

"I've been doing that for years." Lucy explained. "It's actually my first job. I just graduated and landing a job in the big city with a degree in writing isn't very easy so I started there and worked my way to eventually being a writer and model for _Fiore Tomorrow_."

"So there's more of these?" Natsu clarified.

Lucy nodded with a smile. "You should read the article I wrote."

"You know I don't read."

"How are you even a detective?"

Shrugging, Natsu flipped the page open to where the article featured Lucy talking about her life as a writer. There, he found pictures of Lucy in other suggestive positions and various types of bikinis.

"Where did you even get that from?" Lucy chuckled as she snatched the magazine from him and smoothing out the papers.

"I bought it from outside the precinct." Natsu answered without missing a beat, creating a smooth lie. "I bought it to show support. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?"

Lucy turned to look at him with half-opened eyes, her lashes fluttering as she caught on to his lie. "This is an old issue, one from around two months ago. There's no way they still sell these outside the precinct. Nice try. "

Natsu opened his mouth to lie again when Lucy smiled at him and held her hand out to stop him. "I know you stole this from the office because they texted me telling me you've been waiting there for about an hour. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

Seeing an opening, Natsu dove for it. "Yeah, I waited for a really long time! How could you forget?!"

Lucy let out a loud laugh before settling herself back against the couch and resting her head against Natsu's thigh.

By the time they finished bickering, Sergeant Terry Jeffords was already explaining how he brilliantly executed and won this year's heist; the matter of Lucy's modeling career completely on the back of Natsu's mind.

That's right, those men can dream all they want and they still won't be able to have what he has with Lucy. Natsu looked down at Lucy who was directing all her focus on Terry's explanation and smiled at how simple his life had gotten yet so fulfilling.

The corners of her eyes crinkled as she laughed at the rest of the squad's reaction to Terry faking his Lieutenant's exam and the sudden urge of telling her how deep his feelings had gotten overcame him like the waves off Kanagawa, building and building and in the end, sweeping clean everything he has known.

He opened his mouth to profess his heart and lay it down for her to decide with her course of action until the realization hit him.

No, he can't tell her how he feels and leave her. He's going on an undercover mission in a couple of months. Who knew what's going to happen? He might die. He might be too hurt to the point of her not wanting him back. He might not come home.

He can't be selfish about this. This was Lucy he was talking about. She'd do anything for him and he knew that if he were to lay down his heart for her, she would do her best to take care of it and nurture it inside hers. No, he simply can't. She might not want him back after being away from her for a long time. She might be too busy with building her career, he can't get in the way of that. She might not want him back.

She might not love him back.

The possibilities were too frighteningly realistic and endless.

* * *

Natsu set the coffee mug in front of Lucy as she crossed, pouted, and scribbled with the red pen she had. "Why are you doing work so early in the morning?"

"Jason's making me edit some works by the newbies." Lucy answered, taking a sip from the coffee Natsu gave her. "He's thinking of asking the higher-ups to promote me and says this is a way for me to practice."

"I think he's just using that excuse so that you can do his job." Natsu laughed. He went back to the kitchen to make some breakfast for the two of them.

"Maybe."

"And you're fine with it?"

"Mmm, if I could lessen his burden even a bit then I'm happy to do so." Lucy smiled at him before going back to her scraps of paper that was filled with more red than black. "I owe him big time, you know. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be a writer."

Scoffing, Natsu pulled the fridge door open to take some eggs.

"How's everyone?"

"They're fine. I think they want to see you, Gray in particular."

"Tell them I don't think I'd be able to come around for the rest of the week. My schedule's packed." Lucy said as she chewed on the other end of her pen.

"You and the girls have a group chat, right?" Natsu mixed the eggs and the pancake mix and whisked them together in a bowl. "Tell them yourself."

"Okay, will do."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her unexpected answer. Usually, she'd be all jumpy and irritated with how he's been expressing himself but it seems that she's too absorbed in whatever shit she's been reading to properly think Natsu's words through.

"Oh, speaking of everyone, I have something to say." Natsu said, wanting her full, undivided attention for his news. Receiving nothing but a hum wasn't the one he had in mind. "Hey, stop doing that and listen to me."

Lucy sighed, looked up from her stack of paper to stare at Natsu. "What?"

"Lisanna-" He started, thinking of telling her about Lisanna's sudden confession, when her phone blasted out signalling that a call was coming.

She picked it up and waved it before his face, "Sorry, give me a sec."

Natsu nodded, knowing it's not something even she has control over. That ringtone can only mean one thing anyway; Jason.

As Natsu cooked the pancakes and stacked them on a plate, he could hear Lucy's distressed voice from inside her room. She was pacing around the room which meant that there was a problem either at work or with Jason himself. When she came back, she was fully dressed, her book bag slung across her shoulder, and hair up in a pony tail.

"Where are you going? I made pancakes!" Natsu shouted as she dashed for the door to the hallway of the building.

"I'm sorry, there's an accident at Fifth Avenue! I'm nearest so Jason asked me to cover it. See you!"

* * *

**A/N: Hey people! Thanks for the support, I can't believe this already gained some of you amazing people's attention. **

**In response to the reviews, you'll just have to continue reading! lol I can promise you that I'm not going to be dropping this story, as it's something I've been working on my past time for the past year now. Thanks for reading. Let's all love Brooklyn Nine-Nine together! Watch Season 8! **


	3. Code 3

**8 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS AWAY **

"Damn, that shit head's here already?" Gajeel muttered as he sipped his morning coffee. They all turned their heads towards the thing that caught the bigger man's attention and saw Duke Everloo waving down with about a dozen or more women around him. They were in front of the hotel they were staying and the whole squad watched as they all went in.

"Careful, Gajeel." Mira smiled, her eyes on the pile of paperwork in front of her. "He might be rotten to the core but he's still a Duke who holds more power than the likes of us ever could."

"Yeah, power that he clearly doesn't deserve." Gajeel scoffed and drained the rest of the mug's content down his system. "I'm kinda hoping that Dragneel here screwed up this time so that dick gets the treatment he deserves."

"You mean some blood?" Jellal piped in, a manila envelope in his hand as he was passing through the bullpen on the way to the precinct's archives. "I don't think anybody would be pleased with that. Natsu will definitely lose his job and the royal family, although not very fond of the Duke, will still induce some kind of punishment to the whole squad and I'm pretty sure there will be backlash from the people because it's a major event for everybody."

Natsu stared at the pardoned convict whose words were too eloquent for someone who once committed crime after crime.

"I agree with the man." They all turned their heads to Gray who had been silent until now. "If something were to happen to the Duke, there's a great possibility that it will affect the pageant negatively. Nobody wants that when everybody pretty much gathered here for the goddamned event like its the Olympics or something."

"For once, you're clearly making sense." Natsu barked and whacked Gray's back, making him sputter with the sudden lack of air.

"Why, you piece of-" Gray started, standing up from his seat before Laxus cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I just got a report from one of the uniformed officers saying one of the women went missing. It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet so we can't really tell if she went missing or is just out on a walk but it's better to be prepared." Laxus turned to Gray and Natsu who stopped their bickering mid-way to listen to the Sergeant. "You're requested at the hotel and you're to stay there until this whole thing is done. The Duke requested a detective just in case anything goes wrong. Gray's assigned to the Duke himself so there's no change in that. Natsu, you're to stay with a few uniformed officers and take action."

The two nodded their heads and picked up their things, their bodies moving way ahead of their minds out of instinct and practice.

"How long has she been missing?" Natsu asked as he fastened his holster around his shoulders and shoving his gun inside.

"About eight hours now."

"Where did they see her last?" Gray asked, his hands already jiggling their car's keys and threw them to Natsu's direction.

"I don't have access to that information."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked and followed Gray as they crossed the bullpen. "You're the freaking sergeant."

"I know. As dumb as it sounds, it seems that they were too shaken up that the girls are refusing to talk."

"What a load of bull." Natsu scoffed and pressed the elevator button down.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, Natsu realized how it wasn't a load of bull. What he thought was a simple case of missing person turned into a whole crime scene.

The moment he parked the car, Natsu and Gray were greeted by a frantic newbie who hastily explained the whole situation to them as he led them to the room of the woman who went missing or more accurately, kidnapped.

They looked at the mess of a room and turned to stare at each other and without a word, had a silent agreement that this was not a mere case of kidnapping. A pink and white glittering gown was left to scatter its intricate details on the floor and boxes of expensive jewelries littered the carpet by the vanity mirror. The bed remained unmade and looked messier than after a night of fooling around.

"Preserve the evidence." Gray muttered to one senior uniformed officer.

"I'm afraid it's not as fresh as we want it to be, detective. It wasn't reported as soon as the crime happened."

"When did they figure out she was missing?" Natsu asked, looking around for something that might serve as a leading clue.

"About thirty minutes ago."

"Sounds pretty fresh to me."

"The news might be, detective." The officer said and motioned to the room. "But this room isn't."

"Have you checked the cameras?" Gray said, pointing to the CCTV cameras installed at every end of the long hallway.

"Yes, detective. She was last seen entering her room eight hours ago."

"So we're supposed to assume she's been missing for the past eight hours?"

The senior officer nodded his head and thanked the two before entering the room to bag any evidence along with other officers.

"Let's talk to the women." Natsu suggested and Gray nodded his head without a word and headed to where the event manager was.

It's been an hour and they've talked to three women who came from different places and they all said one thing; they don't have a clue about what happened. Which to Natsu, smelled fishier than that of Happy's three year old rotten fish. There's no way they wouldn't know anything when Natsu saw the lot of them through the camera footage hanging out just before they all went in their respective rooms.

Natsu was getting tired of dealing with the 'nope, no clue' bullshit the women seemed to be on until the fourth one. She had golden hair and the usual physique of someone who has been through tons of beauty pageants but her most striking feature was the fear written in her eyes, so clear that if Natsu were asked to describe it, he would say that it was like that of a freshly opened bottle of Coke when you suddenly plunge three whole Mentos candies inside; overflowing and seemingly endless.

When she sat down, the duo knew that she saw something that she probably hoped she hadn't.

"Good day, miss. You are here because we were hoping you witnessed anything that could be of help with the sudden disappearance of Miss Clarice Chang." Gray started, his words smoothly flowing out of his mouth thanks to years of experience.

"C-can you assure me we're not being bugged?" Her voice was so low and full of nervousness that Natsu felt sicken to his gut. Just what on earth happened?

"Yes, it's only us. Rest assured." Gray answered the woman. "Do you mind giving us your name?"

The blonde-haired girl shook her head and finally met their eyes. "Kate. Kate Fleming."

Ever since meeting Lucy and being so close to her it feels like he can't live without her presence, women-related cases had always bothered Natsu. Normally, he couldn't care less about a case as long as it spelled fun and dangerous but now that he found someone he wants to protect with all he's got, he isn't as thrilled to tackle these kind of cases anymore.

The idea that it might be Lucy sitting here in front of him right now, scared out of her wits and shivering out of the fear of being hurt by a force she doesn't even understand sends a chilling vibe down his spine. He gulped and focused on the woman's blue eyes; her only feature that was clearly different from Lucy's to get himself to stop imagining his best friend in the woman's shoes.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"When we came to Crocus for the pageant, we were asked to sign a contract. This, I didn't find anything weird about but then they took another contract and gave us a minute or so to look it over and sign. They were so hasty about it that I found it suspicious." The woman started, her words fluently flowing out of her mouth but her hands were too all over the place; a clear sign of agitation. Lucy used to do it whenever she was stuck on a particular scene in her novel. "The girl who went missing wanted out of the competition because she wanted to tend to her father back at Lily City but when the Duke heard of it, he summoned her to his chambers an hour before dinner."

"Did you see her enter the Duke's room?" Natsu asked.

"Yes,"

"What was she wearing?"

"I assume she wasn't given much time to get properly dressed because she was only wearing a bathrobe."

Gray nodded his head, his hand furiously taking as much notes as he can.

"I don't understand, though." Kate continues on her own. "It might not have anything to do with the Duke but it's weird that when the dinner was over and we were all supposed to be inside our rooms, two men knocked in her room after her stylist went inside. I thought it was just her staff calling for security but now that she went missing, I'm not very sure of anything anymore."

Natsu, who was beginning to get affected by the girl's anxiousness, reached out and placed his larger hands above the woman's and let them hover there, not really touching her. When she lifted her hands to his, he clasped hers in a firm grip and pulled it towards him gently. "You don't have to be so afraid, we're here." His voice was raspy with how low he said it, hoping to bring some kind of comfort to her situation.

"T-thank you," The girl said, a dust of pink gracing her features and making Natsu smile with relief.

Natsu lowered their hands and placed hers back in the table while he went back to fiddling with the pink pen he stole from Lucy.

"Do you still remember what the men looked like?" Gray asked.

"Of course." Kate nodded before she pointed to one of the guards outside. "They're wearing the exact same uniform as all the other guards."

Natsu nodded, "Was there anything in particular that could set them apart?"

The blonde-haired woman stayed silent for a few seconds, pondering and giving her best to remember _anything_ that could serve as a lead for the investigation. Just when Natsu was about to tell her that it's fine, her face brightens up in recognition.

"There was some sort of symbol or something on one of the guard's heel, though I can't really remember how it looked like."

Gray suddenly fumbled through his phone before shoving the screen in front of the poor woman's face. "Was this it?"

Natsu craned to look and saw that Gray was showing her Avatar's logo.

"No," The woman shook her head. "I think there were two boxes atop sticks."

Natsu's eyes widened and he snatched Gray's phone before showing her another symbol of one of the most infamous terrorists that defile the nation; Tartaros. "Is this it?"

Natsu didn't think what he was expecting nor what he wanted to hear but the woman's next words were definitely not it. "Yes, that's it!"

Between the two of them, Gray was the first one to get his shit together. He grabbed his phone from Natsu and shoved in back inside his pocket before continuing the investigation.

"You mentioned something about a second contract. Can you tell us anything about that?"

The woman pouted, her nervousness slowly dissipating. "I don't really remember much, only that there was a company name of some sort at the very top."

"Do you remember it?"

She tipped her head to the side, her eyes furrowed in concentration before her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers and pointed to Natsu. "It was Avala?"

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before it dawned on him; "Avatar?"

The woman's glee made the pits of Natsu's stomach drop to nothingness. "Yes!"

* * *

"What the heck was that all about?" Gray spat as they drove back to the precinct after interviewing half of the contestants.

"What?" Natsu asked, his focus on the road in front of him and trying not to lose his mind over the fact that there's a possibility that the Duke is involved with both Avatar and Tartaros. Seriously though, two big names from one case?

"The hand holding? The comforting? The I'm here for you? What the fuck, dude!" Gray shouted, clearly making the scene a bit too exaggerated. "That was hella unprofessional. Besides, I thought you liked Lucy!"

Natsu spared him a quick glance, his face silently asking Gray what kind absurdity was he saying. "I couldn't get over the fact that she looked too much like Lucy and it pained me to look at her when she was so scared."

"So she looked like Lucy so you decided to touch her hand?!"

"No, dude! It bothered me to no end that there's a possibility that Lucy could be the one who's going through that!" Natsu raised his voice as if it would make the man see sense. "Besides, can we focus on the problem? Avatar and Tartaros might be involved in this."

When Gray stayed silent, Natsu looked at him and before he could ask him what was wrong now, the man looked out the window. "Leave the report to me. You're too bothered right now. You should see Lucy, make sure she's safe and get your fucking brain to calm down."

Natsu returned his focus to the road in front of him, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter than necessary. "Thanks, man."

He saw Gray nod through his peripheral vision, "Just drop me off at the precinct then you can go."

* * *

"Natsu!" The man looked up from the picture frame he's been holding for the past few minutes to be greeted by Lucy's surprised face.

She flipped the switch on, the lights being called to life and drive the darkness out. "What are you doing here?"

"I live in the same building." Natsu dead-panned.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him and her eyes widened in silent sarcasm. "I meant what are you doing inside my room. We're not supposed to see each other until Thursday."

"I know," Natsu said, setting the frame down on her coffee table and turning the television on for some white noise.

Natsu saw Lucy furrow her eyebrows at how he's acting and she approached him, sitting beside him and bringing her legs close to her body and wrapping her arms around it. "I'm worried about you, Natsu. I got a call from Gray and he told me you needed to talk to me."

He looked away from the television and stared at Lucy's face. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry and her jaw was set and clenched. She clearly looked bothered about him but his mind was too fuzzy that his mind kept on thinking about the similarities Lucy had with the scared beauty contestant and it bothered him to no end.

The way she seemed to be pulling herself in, the way she was biting her lips and the insides of her mouth. Good God, she looked too much like the woman from earlier and it made him think; is there going to be a day when he won't be able to protect her?

He's leaving in less than half a year. Fuck.

Lucy turned her head to the picture frame that Natsu was staring at just a few minutes ago with such concentration. "What were you doing with my prom picture?"

"Lucy," Natsu said, turning his whole body to face his best friend. He spread his arms and she wrapped her arms around him without any questions. "I'm scared of losing you."

Natsu heard Lucy's sharp intake of breath and decided to tell her what's been bothering him instead of loitering around like some idiot. "A girl from the pageant went missing today and we're assigned to the case. The missing woman's gown that was on the floor reminded me of the prom dress you wore and the first thing that came over me was the thought of you being the kidnapped person even though I knew in the back of my mind that there's no way that's possible because you're a writer, not a contestant. But still, it took me all I had not to run away from there and check on you. "

"It's okay, Natsu. I'm okay, I'm safe here." Lucy calmly ran her hand down his back, sending delightful shivers down his spine. "And besides, I believe in you. You can do this."

Natsu tightened his grip on Lucy's body, pulling her closer to him she was practically straddling him. "No, you don't understand. The worst was, we were interrogating one of the contestants and she looked too much like you. She was so scared Luce, it took all of me not to storm out of there and beat the living shit out of the person who put her through so much pain.

He buried his face in her golden locks. "And I kept imagining you in her shoes. My mind kept seeing you in front of me, shivering in fear of something you have no control over. My fucking brain kept messing with me."

Natsu felt himself shake with how upset he was. "I don't think I can do this.", he said. For the first time in his life, he thought he could not get through a case. He couldn't care less about the felony bet he had with Gray now.

He just wanted to stay here and make sure Lucy was safe with him.

Lucy pulled away from him and placed her hand over his cheek, him leaning on instinct. She gave him the warmest smile she had that assured him she was going to be fine. "I believe in you. Ever since that day you gave me back my manuscript. I believe in you and I will never stop."

Natsu found himself nodding in agreement. "There's a possibility that the Duke and Avatar is involved in this. Please do not go anywhere near him or this pageant."

Lucy remained silent and motionless for a second before she slowly nodded her head and went back to hugging him.

"Promise me, please."

"Okay." Lucy silently said, her voice still too low for him to hear but he trusted her and he hoped that would be enough.

His mind was too filled with the possibility of Lucy being kidnapped or being so scared beyond belief that she would stutter and look at him with such fear-filled eyes that he didn't take into account the fact that Lucy was a writer.

And writers always do their jobs no matter what. Even with the risk of them losing their lives.

"By the way, did I tell you that I just saw one of my childhood friends again! Turns out, he's a firefighter!" Lucy suddenly said, clearly trying to lighten up the mood.

"Oh yeah? You didn't tell me about you attending a reunion party though." Natsu laughed, already feeling a bit better.

"Because I didn't, silly!" She laughed, smacking his arm and kinda looking drunk. "I saw him while I was covering that fire at the fifth!"

* * *

It was the third day of the pageant and their evidence was spoiling by the minute. Currently, Gray was called back to the precinct to handle the report while Natsu stayed behind.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked one of the uniformed officers as they assisted a group of reporters with heavy-looking cameras slung around their necks.

"They were invited to do a cover for their respective companies about the pageant." Answered the one who was leading the group. "They're to do it in a single spot but some big shots are gonna be doing one on one interview with the Duke."

Natsu nodded his head and let them all pass through. Then, he tapped the officer who was lagging behind. "When's this supposed one on one interview?"

"Right now." The officer replied, pointing to the room the Duke was currently in. "You're presence is requested there."

"Why?" Natsu's brows raised. Isn't he supposed to be guarding the girls?

"Detective Fullbuster is inside the interview hall already."

Understanding, Natsu opened the door and took the seat nearest to the Duke's temporary office. It seemed that the interview was already ongoing so he decided it was best not to barge in mid-interview. The door was slightly ajar, a precaution for the safety of both the Duke and the interviewer.

He craned his neck to listen or even catch a tiny glimpse of the situation. Instead, the first thing that hit him was the scent of Lucy's perfume; vanilla and honey. Furrowing his brows, he stood to confirm whether or not Lucy was the one interviewing the Duke but decided against it. He can't be rude in front of the interviewer when they was diligently doing their job.

Besides, there's no way Lucy would conduct the interview. She _promised._ Her, beyond anyone, treasured her promises. He should be able to trust her enough that she wouldn't do anything as dumb as to interview the one person who could possibly be the reason why Avatar has inside information about everything.

Looking around the room, there were three other uniformed officers lounging around the couch, talking amongst themselves. Feeling on the edge, he decided that small talk should at least help ease his mind for a while.

"Which magazine company is it this time?" Natsu asked no one in particular.

"It's _Fiore Tomorrow_, detective."

Natsu's eyes widened. At the moment, a glass shattered inside the Duke's office, making all four of them turn their attention to the closed room. Natsu moved his legs on instinct, slamming the door open to see the one person he didn't want to see, her eyes fuming with pure rage.

"Lucy!" Natsu could feel rage and heartbreak flow within his veins. Rage, for whatever the Duke has done to Lucy and heartbreak because of Lucy's betrayal. He was about to grab her away from the Duke when she shrugged off his hand and raised her arm to point at the Duke.

"How dare you!" Lucy exclaimed, her brows furrowed in anger. Her stance showed the countless defense lessons she had with Natsu, left leg forward and hands raised to chin level without putting any stress to it by clenching.

Natsu couldn't move from his spot on the floor. He was in too much shock from what he just saw. He had always been a brat to everyone, more so to Lucy which resulted in him always being on the receiving end of her anger and of course, kicks. But this was different from the anger he had always seen that frequently painted her face when he was being an idiot.

When she was angry at him, there was frustration but there was also warmth swimming in her face. But now, now she was scary. Scarier than Erza when the redhead is on her period. Lucy's finger was shaking, her eyes widened and nostrils flared.

He didn't like the look she was sporting now. He didn't like what it did to her gentle face. And most of all, he didn't like how she was like this because of the person he was protecting.

"Ma'am, please calm down." One of the uniformed officers pleaded, slowly approaching Lucy. Then he pulled her away from the Duke and pushed her to Natsu's side where she was warmly welcomed. Natsu spread his arms and took her in but she didn't spare him a single glance, her glare sending daggers towards one person alone.

Feeling safe that Lucy was finally in his arms, he turned to look at the Duke and his eyes widened. There was reddening in his cheek that was surely going to bruise and he was hastily checking his mouth for something. Natsu looked around and saw what the Duke might have been looking for; two teeth that got thrown all the way to the floor by the window.

"Did you just elbow the Duke?" Natsu asked Lucy, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yeah, he approached me out of the blue and started touching places shouldn't be." Lucy breathed, starting to calm down. She released a breath before pushing Natsu away. "Look, I'm sorry I broke my promise but I didn't want you to worry and Jason already left this in my care months ago. You have to understand that I can't just suddenly say no just because it's supposedly dangerous."

Natsu nodded his head. "I understand." He pulled Lucy again for a hug, burying his face against her golden locks. "Care to tell me what happened?"

Lucy nodded her head and pulled away. "We were just talking about the contestants when he suddenly told me that he's seen my pictures in the magazine and was actually considering me but I said no. Then, he suddenly stood up and approached me. He even had the audacity to run his hands against my leg."

Natsu turned his head to the Duke. He was being helped up by two uniformed officers while the other remaining officer was standing guard against the door. "Call Gray, tell him there's an incident."

* * *

It's been three days since the incident with the Duke. Thankfully, they were smart enough to immediately install surveillance cameras the second they were given the permission from the Royal family. Through it, they were able to instantly confirm what happened and since Lucy told everything right, it was as smooth as a windless sea.

The pageant remained unaffected much to everybody's relief, when the Princess herself decided to take over the matter, letting the police do their job without needing to worry about crowd management. The real trouble came when interrogation started. During the first day, Natsu and Gray handled it while everybody stood beyond the glass to observe. When the Duke wouldn't say anything about what happened with the pageant and would even deny harassing Lucy, Erza stepped up.

The moment Erza sat down, brandished her baton, and fixed the stubborn Duke with a glare before uttering two words; "Tell me.", the Duke had fessed up. But then trouble came again when Erza asked him about the missing girl and his connection with Avatar.

"I've got nothing to do with that." The Duke said, sitting back on his chair nonchalantly.

"Ah, of course. I don't think you'd have the brains to deliver such an eloquent plan."

"Watch what you're saying, you're talking to a Duke!"

"A _former_ Duke. Now, you're just a citizen, Everloo." Jellal, waving a piece of paper in the air. "They just denounced you. Now tell us everything."

The Duke's round face reddened, making him look like a human plum. He smacked his fist against the metal table. "There's no way that's true!"

"I have no reason to lie."

"Then all the more reason for me to shut my trap!" The Duke exclaimed, huffing and puffing like a fat train.

Erza smirked, sitting back against the cold metal of her chair and crossing her arms. "So you do know."

The Duke's eyes widened in realization. Damn that blue-haired convict for riling him up. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down.

Before the Duke could utter another word, the door opened and in came Princess Hisui. Erza and Jellal stood up and bowed to greet her. Offering her seat, the Princess sat down on one of the metal chairs of the interrogation room.

"What's this I hear about my denouncing?" The Duke spat, uncaring that the Princess clearly held more power than he ever could.

"I was able to stop Father from it." The Princess calmly stated, her words void of any emotion but her eyes were swimming in anger. "However, if you do not tell these people of your wrongdoings and connection to the terrorists, I am to make sure you would gladly accept a simple denouncing."

Gulping, the Duke started to sweat on his seat across from the Princess before he turned to Erza and Jellal who were silently standing between the green haired heiress. "Fine, I'll talk."

While the interrogation took place at the room, Gray and Natsu were called out of the room and inside the Captain's office. "Good work on the case, boys." The small man greeted them.

"We're nowhere near done, gramps." Natsu muttered, feeling a bit ashamed of himself for no reason.

"We're transferring the case to Jellal's capable hands. You are to focus on your mission with Gajeel that will be in a few months." The Captain said, not giving them a room for complaints or objections.

"I'm not directly involved in the mission, Captain, can I stay?" Gray begged.

"You're doing it with Jellal, actually."

"No fair!" Natsu whined. "This is still connected to the mission somehow, gramps! The Duke could have some kind of connection with Avatar and Tartaros!"

"I know but the planning and preparation for the mission is still full of holes, isn't it?" The much older man argued, making Natsu shut up. "Take care of that first, that takes first precedence above anything else."

"Fine," the pink-haired man could only agree with the Captain's words. "But you'll still let us in on everything!"

"That is without question. We're hoping this case will help give us more information about your mission so of course you will all be updated." The Captain promised before they were kicked out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: It's been a while, thanks to the people who're giving me a chance! Currently, the whole world is facing a crisis that could be easily prevented if we just stay calm, hygienic, and smart. From everything that I've read about NCOV-19; I would like to remind you some stuff. **

**a. Keep your hands _clean _and away from your face. SANITIZE! **

**b. Remain inside unless you _really _need to and if you do, make sure you're keeping yourself protected. If you're thinking about going somewhere for fun because you're feeling well, stop. Just, stop. You may not get the virus or feel the it inside you yet but you may infect other people and sick, older people are more prone to death. Not young people. So stop being selfish :)**

**c. Listen to the authorities! It's not the time for your rebellious sides to get out. Stop yolo-ing. lol **

**d. If you're going to the groceries, _STOP _hoarding! You're not helping anyone, including yourself. You're depriving others of things that they need as well. If you hoard, you're not helping mitigate or stop the spread of the virus. **

**e. Keep calm and read reliable news! :) Stop spreading fake news. **

**Keep safe everyone! I'm praying for all of y'alls safety and health. May this chapter bring you at least an atomic amount of comfort. **


	4. Code 4

It's been a month since the incident with the Duke that ended with the royal losing his highly sought-out position. At first the man was livid, even going as far as raising his hand against the Princess but the emerald-haired royalty easily swatted his hand and glared, telling him that the King had threatened to deport the Duke for laying a hand against the nation's citizen and that he should actually be licking the heel of the King for such a light punishment.

When the Duke had calmed down, he was forced to spill everything he knew about the terrorists and anything that could become a new lead that could potentially help Natsu and the others with their infiltration. With the investigation done, the royal guards took custody of the denounced Duke and brought him back to Crocus for further questioning.

With the information the Duke had unwillingly given, they now knew that Avatar was indeed but a small part of a massive syndicate that spread through the country like the plague. The Duke had told them about the remaining two branches of the band of terrorists and what every branch were assigned to do. At the end of the day, Natsu was feeling a bit thankful that Lucy had went against her word because if it weren't for her knocking two of the Duke's teeth out of his foul mouth, they wouldn't have been able to catch the otherwise surprisingly secretive man.

Luckily, the Duke was able to connect them with the guy he did business with and once the case was officially handed over to Jellal and Gray, they immediately had someone tail the guy. Eventually, after days of waiting and being led to wrong places, they were finally able to locate the small factory Avatar used for their illegal business and the whole squad couldn't have felt stupider that moment.

Avatar was using the old ship dock by at the other side of the city as their base and transported the women from there to God knows where. Although the port was still being used by smaller ships, they still felt like it should have been a given that it would be where the terrorists would conduct their illegal activities.

When they busted the port, Avatar's main members were there, enjoying their cups of ale like some old farts. Still, Natsu was impressed that despite the surprise attack, they were still able to immediately put two and two together, gather up arms, and put up a good fight. That was of course, until Laxus and Elfman came inside and started knocking them all down with brute force.

Their timing must have been blessed by the Gods because they couldn't have arrived at a much more perfect time. Thankfully, the girls were still there; all ten of them, including the beauty pageant and turns out, they were scheduled to ship the ladies to wherever they ship them the next day.

Gray was assigned along with Erza to make quick work of securing the safety of the kidnapped women while Jellal stayed behind with Laxus, Elfman and a couple more uniformed officers to await for the arrival of the boat the next day. The rest of them, namely Natsu and Gajeel, were ordered to go back to the precinct and continue with the planning for their mission.

After the girls were taken into custody and questioned, they were picked up by their loved ones after they said their utmost thanks to their saviors.

Just as Natsu was about to enter the briefing room for what felt like the millionth time that day, Gray called and approached him, the beauty pageant trailing timidly behind him.

"I want to say thank you for finding me. If there's anything I can do to help you with anything, please don't hesitate to let me know." She said, her head bowed in gratitude towards the two detectives.

"There's nothing to thank us, we were just doing our jobs." Natsu grinned, "Nine-nine will always be here to protect every single one of Magnolia's precinct."

"Still though, I want to give back somehow." The beauty pageant insisted, lifting her head in the slightest to look at Natsu. "Anyway, here's my number. Call me if you need my help or, uh, even if you d-don't, you can still call me."

Natsu, bless his soul, didn't notice the raging blush that was creeping from the woman's neck until it welcomed itself into her beautiful face, and he just grinned at her, and accepted the paper. "Thanks, I'll be sure to keep it."

The beauty pageant nodded her head, thanked Gray as well, and dashed off. Natsu pocketed the piece of paper and received a judgmental look from the ice dick, his eyes squinted and brows furrowed. "What are you staring at, ice freak. Your face is ugly enough for you not to do that."

Gray decided to ignore the insult. "Are you seriously keeping it?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't see the harm in it."

"I bet you don't even have half a brain to comprehend what that lady was trying to tell you." Gray scoffed, pushing Natsu aside to get inside the briefing room.

"What's there to comprehend?!" Natsu exclaimed, following right after him. "She wants to help me when I need it, she said it herself! Maybe you're the one who doesn't have a brain, idiot."

Gray was about to spell it all out for Natsu when another familiarly annoying scoff cut him off and he decided to shut up. "She wants to bang you, salamander." They both turned to Gajeel who was sitting at one of the metal chairs, his legs resting atop the table.

Natsu's eyes widened and he stood still for a good few seconds before regaining his composure. "Pfft, no way. She was kidnapped, we helped save her, she wants to be of help in return! You guys are just thinking with your miniature-sized dicks."

Gajeel and Gray turned to look at each other before letting out a chuckle. "Sure, keep telling yourself that, fire boy."

Before Natsu could retort, Erza entered the room, silencing all of them. Natsu decided to sit quietly lest he pisses her off and she's already in a sour mode; probably because Jellal's been spent way too much time at the case for the past few days and they probably haven't fucked each other for so long now. Well, at least that's how Mira's speculation goes.

"We were able to gather a buttload of information within the last few months than we ever had for the past year." Erza stated. Updating them about the recent bust they did with Avatar and connecting it with the upcoming mission.

Lately, their meetings had been more frequent and it made Natsu unable to pick up Lucy from work. This usually wouldn't bother Natsu but ever since she had told him that she just found out that one of her childhood friends turned out to be one of the firemen at Magnolia, he had been on edge. Though he couldn't really give you a real reason as to why even if you asked.

Another thing was that Lucy only ever gave him a smile whenever he apologized profusely for not being able to pick her up which added unnecessary tension to his already stiff shoulders. Honestly, he would much rather she lashed out at him for being so busy instead of just giving a sweet smile when he doesn't even deserve it. At least then, he'll actually know that she's angry and upset with him. But that smile? Oh that could mean anything.

"Natsu, focus." Erza waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention and he blinked, forcing the thoughts of Lucy to the back of his head. "We need you here. Stop daydreaming."

"Yeah, flame brain, stop daydreaming about Lucy." Gray snickered to which Natsu replied with a hit to the shoulder that made the taller man sputter in surprise.

Natsu smirked and faced Erza again. Oh if only Gray knew how right he was, he'd definitely have a party. "I'm sorry, please continue."

Erza nodded her head and pointed to the white board that they were currently using to keep track of the information they hold. "We already know about Oracion Seis, the one that Jellal was able to bust wide open, as expected of him."

"Stop daydreaming of your husband, please." Natsu bit back, laughing with Gray until they were fixed with a cold glare from the red-head. They both cleared their throats and Natsu motioned for her to continue.

"Idiots," Natsu heard Gajeel mutter from the high horse he must have seated himself upon and if Erza wasn't glaring at them like she was, he would've punched that metal face's ugly mug.

"Anyway, the other two largest groups of this band of baboons are Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. According to the Duke, Avatar is a smaller branch growing under Tartaros. Now that Oracion Seis is gone, their influence on the West has waned and Grimoire Heart is trying to make up for this by doubling their efforts in spreading their influence North." Erza ended.

Natsu nodded his head and looked back at the paper in his hand. "So the Duke was helping them because their leader promised him a higher ranking position when they emerge victorious, yeah?"

"That's exactly it, yes."

"Now that we know about the remaining branches, will our course of action change?" Gray asked.

"Yes actually, I was just about to go over that." Erza answered, voice as stern and level as a military captain. "Instead of Dragneel being sent East to gather information about Tartaros, he will be sent South. With the recent bust we had, Fernandez and Dreyar were able to get valuable information from the ship's captain about its route."

"What about me?" Gajeel asked.

"It remains the same." Erza answered and Gajeel nodded without further questions.

"Following this, there are more changes that we have to do with the planning but I still have to talk it over with the Captain before I present it to you." Erza informed them. "After that, I'll make sure to call up another meeting and see whether the plan I created with the Captain sounds good to all. Sounds good?"

All three men nodded their heads and left the room one by one and of course, not without bickering.

* * *

Night had fallen on another Friday night and Natsu found himself sitting beside a tipsy Lucy at one of the booths at Fairy Tail. She had insisted they skip movie night for a night out with friends which was unusual since she was usually too tired for a drinking session with the whole gang.

He was going to refuse, knowing that she needed to have some rest but then he remembered that it had been weeks since she was able to hang out with them because of her busy schedule; what with trying to write her book and the latest news, taking extra responsibilities to be promoted, and training newbies, she had her hands full.

And so he had ended up agreeing, knowing that she wanted to hang out with all of them despite being tired and he didn't have it in him to stop her. Natsu was enjoying the view of Lucy laughing at something Gray had said until he had switched the subject. "How's work, Lucy?"

"Oh, Gray, let's not discuss work related stuff please." Lucy laughed, waving her hand in front of her face and giggling like a little child.

"Come on, I'm excited about your novel! When will it be ready?" Gray pushed, grinning from ear to ear. Natsu had never understood why Gray was so fond of Lucy and doted over her like she was his own little sister because one, ice pants didn't have feelings like a normal person and two, he had only known Lucy for a few months.

"I'm not even half-way through!" Lucy exclaimed, clearly on the edge of being drunk. She turned her head to Natsu and grinned, her cheeks blushing from the amount of alcohol she had consumed and making Natsu's heart jump in adoration. "Besides, Natsu's secret mission is much more interesting!"

Natsu's eyes widened and he hurriedly placed a hand over Lucy's mouth before she could utter another word but then she licked his hand, making his stomach drop at the feel of her wet muscle making contact. "Ew, stop it!"

"What did Lucy just say, flame brain?"

"What? Nothing! She was hallucinating! She's drunk, I better get her home."

"No way in hell." Gray spat, gently grabbing Lucy from Natsu and placing her in Levy's care at the next table.

"What did you tell her." Gray demanded more than asked.

"I kinda slipped and told her I had a mission in a couple of months but then I told her it's a secret so she can't tell anyone. Nothing else!"

"You know you're putting her in danger just by telling her about this." Gray spat, anger and disbelief swimming in his eyes and they were on the verge of spilling. "I swear if anything happens to her because of your stupidity, I will kill you."

"I get it, okay?" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it."

"Sorry's not gonna cut it this time, idiot." Gray growled before he looked at Natsu's face and he sighed. "I'm telling Erza about this. There's no way I'm letting you get the chance to just slip again and tell her any more."

"Gray, don't." Natsu urged, standing and leaning against the table to get closer to Gray. "Please don't. If you tell her, Erza's gonna make me stop seeing Lucy. I can't stand that. Please."

Gray looked at Natsu's sincere face and sighed. "No, man. I gotta. I don't want to put Lucy in any more danger."

Natsu sighed and sat back down at his seat with a thump, defeat clear in his body. "It's not like I did it intentionally."

"That's exactly why it's dangerous for her to be around you." Gray pointed out. "You're too open and lax with her, you have no full control over yourself."

Natsu looked at Gray and back at his hands that were resting at his lap. "This is just shit."

* * *

For the rest of the month, Natsu was sent out along with other squads whenever there were calls and once he gets back, thrown inside the precinct's archives or made to process all paperwork.

The mornings were dull which meant he was forced into the parchment smelling room, making him think about the blonde haired beauty who was probably surrounding herself with confusing words as always. He would usually drink two full mugs of coffee to keep him going but with the way everything was too slow, he had to drink an extra mug just to avoid getting sleepy during his shift.

By the time the caffeine kicks in, the precinct would start to buzz with energy and action and he would finally be out and about around the city hunting out culprits and bad guys. As he was being dragged in and out of the precinct, he finally started to realize the worth of a break. Honestly, this was too much. Couldn't he just get a little bit of everything during the day?

Natsu was an all-or-nothing kind of guy, sure, but wasn't this too much? His mornings just whispered _nothing_ in his ear the whole time but once the clock strikes twelve, it seems like all the bad guys just want to take him out on a joy-ride across town and now his day was full of screaming on his ears _all!_ for the rest of his shift.

Once he gets back to the precinct, it would have already been the end of his duty and Lisanna would be greeting him at the counter with a smile and a hot cup of freshly brewed tea; the only good thing out of his shitty day. After his tea, he would be too beat up - something that doesn't really happen to him - to even try and get home which led him to actually living at the precinct for the past few days.

And so, today wasn't any different. Well, not entirely because today, he was finally given the permission to see Lucy again with the threat that if he ever spills anything about the mission, he's never seeing Lucy again.

Getting back at the precinct, he was all smiles despite the tiring and not to mention nauseating ride around town with Gray, nonetheless.

"Wow, someone's in a good mood." Lisanna giggled, handing him his cup of tea to which he gladly accepted. "Did something happen?"

"Something good is gonna happen, for this idiot atleast." Gray rolled his eyes and thanked Lisanna for the tea she handed him as well. "Lucy's waiting for you, isn't she?"

Natsu childishly nodded his head and drank the tea in big gulps in an effort to finish faster. "Gotta bounce!"

"What a dork." Gray scoffed and was about to walk away.

"He's still seeing Lucy?"

"Nah, just this once. Gramps finally gave him the go after three days. I guess there are some good things that comes with being stupidly stubborn."

"I see," Gray looked at Lisanna and couldn't really figure out the meaning behind her soft smile. "Good for them."

"That's where you're wrong." Gray chuckled, looking back at the direction Natsu had took off. "It's only good for that guy, I don't know if it's going to be any good for Lucy. Besides he's been too grumpy lately. He hates paperwork but when he's being called for outside duty, he's also even more uncooperative than usual. Actually, it might be the reason Gramps allowed it. We're a bit afraid he might lose it if this goes on a bit longer."

"She's that important, huh?"

Gray remained silent for a second, contemplating what to say and decided to go with the truth. "We all are. You know how he is with the ones he loves."

Lisanna smiled and nodded, "I know."

* * *

"Luce!" Natsu exclaimed once he spotted the blonde haired girl, still inside their building where she was bidding her farewell to the front desk. From afar, Natsu could tell something was different but he couldn't decide whether it was a good kind or not.

She had her hair in an up-down do which spoke volumes considering it was currently the summer and she must be enduring the hotness of the weather. Lucy was a self-proclaimed _fashionista_ but Natsu knew that no matter no obsessed she was with the latest trends in the fashion world, she never really cared about how her hair looked, especially when it comes to the hot season.

Ignoring his observations, he got out of his car and waved his hand once Lucy spotted him and ran around, opening the car door for her.

"It's been a while, Natsu." Lucy smiled, patting his shoulders as he held the door open for her and placed his hand against the spot that could come in contact with Lucy's forehead and true to his assumptions, she bumped her head against his hand. "Thanks."

"No problem." Natsu ruffled her hair once she was inside and jogged to the driver's side to start the ignition.

"How's everyone?" Lucy asked, fastening her seat belt once Natsu was on the road.

"They're being really strict with me, it's so stupid. Can you believe it? I've been sleeping at the break room for the last three days, you know!"

"How pitiful." Lucy joked. "You did bring this upon yourself, you know. You weren't supposed to go around spilling the secrets of the station. What kind of detective even are you?"

"Hey!" Natsu stole a glance at Lucy. "You promised me you wouldn't tell and you did! In front of Gray, of all people!"

"Why? Would you rather I did it in front of Erza?"

Natsu remained silent and gulped. "Okay, you have a point there."

"I always do."

Natsu looked at her for a second, his brows furrowed and cheeks raised in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

Lucy only laughed at him and they remained quiet for the rest of the ride home and Natsu relished in the kind of comfortable silence he could only experience with Lucy. Whenever he was with her, he liked to talk non-stop but once the buzzing in his brain stops and he's left without anything to say, he doesn't really have the feeling that he had to continue when he doesn't have anything in mind.

Once they arrived at the underground parking of their building, Natsu parked his car and turned the ignition off. "You can go ahead and choose a movie for us. I'm just getting something at the lobby." Lucy informed him as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"Want me to go with you?" Natsu offered, unbuckling his seat belt and reaching behind for their belongings. He handed Lucy her bag and they both went out of the car.

"No need. It's just some of my notes."

"Why would your notes be there?" During the time Natsu had known Lucy, she was never one to just leave her notes around but then again, she was clumsy enough to lose her manuscript so maybe she wasn't really all that attentive when it comes to her belongings.

"I forgot it at the cafe and asked Loke to get it for me." Lucy answered nonchalantly, as if the foreign name didn't spark millions of questions in Natsu's mind. "You're not the only one who's been drowning in work, detective."

She was gone without another word and Natsu moved on instinct, following her once she turned her back on him but stopped mid-stride and decided it would be better for him not sneak around behind her back and follow despite his overflowing curiosity.

Who was Loke? It's the first he's heard of the name but maybe he's her assistant or something or one of the characters of Lucy's gossip that he had zoned out on.

He took the elevator from the basement all the way to their floor while Lucy took the stairs to the lobby to take her notes or something. By the time he got to their floor, he punched in the password to Lucy's unit and welcomed himself in.

As always, the smell of her overwhelmed his senses and he could already feel his head relax and his heart pump in a familiarly comforting rhythm. It was unbelievable how even his very body was so attracted to Lucy that it starts to relax without him even meaning to, his guard all the way down the to lowest level whenever he's around her.

His mission was still weeks away but he could already see himself longing to be back in this very place, where he could drown in her fragrance and fill his heart with the sight of her, sitting hunched in her desk while she wrote and he shook the thought out of his head.

He can't afford to miss Lucy so soon. It was definitely going to be the end of the mission once his urge to see Lucy gets stronger than the thought of saving his nation. No, he has to be logical about this instead of thinking and acting like a starving puppy.

The door clicked open and he looked back to see Lucy with stacks of paper and he groaned, how could everyone expect him to run away from such a sight? How could they ask him to go to this mission and separate him from the one person he loved above anyone else? But then he remembered himself foolishly volunteering for the mission, his hands way above his head and shaking it against the air in excitement.

Well, in his defense, he didn't really know Lucy by that time nor did he have any idea that he would be this wrapped around a single woman's finger. If someone were to tell him that someone like Lucy was able to capture his heart and gain total control over it, Natsu would have scoffed then punched that person for a joke like that.

"How did you manage to forget that?" Natsu lightly laughed and took the stacks of paper from Lucy's grasp as she struggled with the straps of her heels.

"I placed them below the table, that's how." Lucy grumbled as she continued her fight with her shoes.

Natsu scoffed and placed the papers on her desk. "Well, while you're in the midst of a fierce war with your shoes, I'm setting up the television. Anything you want to watch in particular?"

"Not really." Lucy mindlessly answered then hastily added. "No horror movies. I don't want to get punched in the gut today."

Natsu let out an embarrassed scoff and scrolled through Netflix. "That was one time and it didn't even hurt much."

"Hey! I was the one who got hit, not you!" Lucy shouted from the door. Then, Natsu heard her heels hit the marble floor and her light steps in the wooden area of the room. "Anyway, is ramen good? Don't worry, it's not the instant type. I bought noodles yesterday and forgot to cook them."

"Yeah, anything's fine."

Once they got settled, Natsu hurriedly slurped his noodles so he could focus on the movie playing.

"Natsu, slow down. Your slurping sounds disgusting."

"Hey, in the Japanese culture, slurping is a compliment!" Natsu finished his food in three big gulps and settled the now empty bowl in Lucy's coffee table. "Which means you should see it as such."

"Oh shut up. You're just looking for reasons to justify your disgusting eating habits." Lucy rolled her eyes at the pink haired man and silently ate.

Ever since they sat down to enjoy each other's company, there was no other thought that plagued Natsu's mind but of that Loke guy. Now that he was given more time to ponder, he realized that if the guy was her co-worker then he should have just given Lucy's notes to her while they were at the office. There really wasn't any need to go out of his way to go here.

Wait, was Loke even a guy? Well, that's a pretty manly sounding name so he must be, right? Natsu was about to agree with himself when he remembered what Lucy told him about stereotyping people based on something abstract. Do names fall under that category? Are names concrete? Why was he suddenly pondering over what names were!?

He quickly shook his head and groaned, startling Lucy who was placing her empty bowl of ramen beside Natsu's. "Is there something in your mind?"

"Are names abstract?" Natsu blurted out in panic.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise, not really expecting such a nonsense sounding question. Then, she visibly relaxed, her frown turning to a smile until she was full on laughing. "I'm not even going to answer that!" She wheezed, clutching her stomach in an effort to not throw up.

"Ugh, stop it." Natsu grumbled, trying to cover up his blush both from embarrassment and from Lucy's adorable face that he didn't realize he had missed so much until he saw it for the first time in three days.

"What were you initially thinking about that it led there?" Lucy eventually asked once her laughter subsided.

"Who's Loke?" Natsu asked without preamble.

Natsu saw Lucy's face drop her smile and her eyes widen for the second time that night. It took her a bit longer to gather her composure than before and Natsu couldn't figure out why the name would spark such a reaction out of her. "He's the childhood friend I told you about, he wants to take me out on a date."

All of a sudden, Natsu remembered his silent promise to both himself and Lucy; a confession after his mission. Natsu wasn't the most thoughtful or considerate guy around but even he wasn't clueless enough to actually profess his undying love to a girl just weeks before he leaves her. He could be dumb sure, but not to that extent.

During the time he made that promise to himself, he was alone inside the interrogation room and he thought then that nobody could ever come between them. No, he wouldn't let anybody come between them. He vowed to himself that after his mission, he would reward himself and what better was there than Lucy in his arms?

But now, looking at the dreamy look on Lucy's face, he realized how wrong he was. She was smiling at him but he knew he wasn't the one who's causing it. Her cheeks were flushed but he had enough wits to realize that it wasn't because he was making a move on her.

No, not this time. Someone had finally beaten him to the punch. The thought seemed so bizarre to Natsu that he had to let it sink in.

He felt himself smile despite his heart breaking inside of him and he had no idea how good of an actor he was until now and how much of a liar he was because the next words surprised even him. "That sounds good!"

Lucy's shy smile turned to a toothy grin as she looked at him. He continued smiling at her as if he wasn't breaking his own heart.

Natsu turned to look back at the TV, silently letting out a breath he realized he had been holding and tried to relax.

He was aboard a train he had no control over and it might as well bring him to his death but one look at Lucy's wistful expression and he knew he was fine with it. He had to be fine with it. He released a breathy chuckle and realized he was too much of a fool for her and scarily enough, he didn't mind it as much.

He nodded to himself, mentally patting his shoulders for a job well done. He turned to sneak a glance at her face again only for their eyes to meet. Natsu smiled at her and he couldn't help but admit to himself that he was too deep in love with her to even deny her happiness, even if that meant he was out of the picture.

* * *

Natsu grumbled as he crossed off another mistake a rookie had made with the paperwork, his mind at the edge of blowing up with boredom. He was back on paperwork duty like a fucking newbie cop but he had to admit, albeit himself, that it did help him keep his mind off of what Lucy just told him yesterday evening for the past few hours.

He didn't really want to know anything about this guy or their stupid date but if he were to give up the only girl he had ever loved, the guy better be perfect. There was no way he was letting some prick just date Lucy just because they think they have a chance. No way in rotten hell.

When he asked her about it, Lucy told him that she agreed to go on a date with the Loke guy but they haven't settled on a date yet and it's bugging him to no end because four days from now, him and Gajeel were gone for their mission.

"What's stuck up your ass, flame brain?" Gray asked as he sat himself down at the seat in front of Natsu's desk. Looks like his constant mumbling of profanities and grumbling finally reached someone's ears.

"None of your business."

Natsu heard Gray sigh before the raven-haired man tapped his desk twice with his fist to get his attention. "Come on, man. You're leaving in four days, I don't have it in me to be so rude so just spill. Does it have something to do with the mission? Or is it Lucy?"

"Both." Gray stayed silent and Natsu took it as his cue to keep talking. "Lucy's gonna go out on a date with a guy one of these days and I don't know when. I can't keep looking out for her when I'm leaving in four days."

"So what? Just tell her how you feel."

Natsu looked at Gray as if he was out of his mind, which he was, if they were being honest. The man was so out of his mind since he was born Natsu doubts he was ever born with one.

"Are you crazy? I can't tell her I like her days before I leave! I don't even know if I can make it back." Natsu said, his voice falling to a whisper at the mention of how his future was going to fold out.

Gray stayed silent for a couple of seconds before he sighed, ruffled his hair and stood up. "I'll keep an eye out for her while you're gone. It's the least I can do."

Natsu nodded, keeping his head down. "Thanks, man."

Before lunch could end that day, Natsu was beckoned to the briefing room. Erza was waiting for him behind the podium while the Captain stood beside her, his small frame hidden from view. With the way Erza was staring at him, her eyes sharp and wise, it wouldn't surprise him if she was mistaken as the Captain instead of Gramps.

Scanning the room, Natsu opted to seat behind Gajeel and away from Gray. Seconds later, Laxus arrived and seated himself at the very back of the room while Jellal sat behind the table that was left unoccupied.

"Good, you're all here." Erza nodded her head at them and flipped the whiteboard. He wanted to comment that it's beginning to get a bit too messy but he wasn't really in the mood to invoke her anger so he decided to shut his trap. "Let's do a final briefing before we move on to the final preparations."

And so, Erza started explaining for what seemed like the hundredth time how the mission will pan out. Natsu was going to be sent South to collect more information about Tartaros and infiltrate them once he gets the golden chance while Gajeel was going West where Grimoire Heart was currently in.

They were to communicate to each other using a police-issued smartphone that was embedded with a tracker if anything were to ever go south and were told not to use it unless they think it's of utmost importance. Smartphones were convenient, sure, but they were also easily hacked and that could easily go wrong in so many ways. As back up, they were to be given beepers just in case anything unprecedented were to ever happen to them.

"Any other comments or inquiries?" Erza ended, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I have a few last words." Natsu stood up and waited for Erza to let him speak.

"Are you finally dying, flame brain?"

"Shut up, Gray." Erza threatened and motioned for Natsu to speak.

"We've been planning this mission for almost a year now and even with the amount of preparation we've done, nobody still has any idea how this could actually pan out." Natsu started. "For now, this mission could last for a year at least so while I'm gone, ice dick, I hate you with all I have but you can have my desk."

Gray grinned, "Heck yeah! I finally have the best seat in the precinct, sucks to be you losers."

Natsu nodded, feeling proud of the placement of his desk. It _was_ a sought-out desk with its location right beside the break room - where the Wi-Fi was strongest, might he add - and you could slip out unnoticed if you were stealthy enough.

"Jellal, you can have my locker." He continued, looking at the blue-haired man and shook the older man's extended hand.

"Thank you," Jellal said, going back to his seat.

"And Sergeant Dreyar, you can have all my open cases." Natsu turned to the golden-haired man who was silent the whole time.

"I don't want it." Laxus grumbled.

"You don't have a choice." Natsu cackled. Then he turned back to Erza. "Sorry, I got nothing else to give away. You can take care of Lucy, though?"

"You do not have the authority to do any of this." Erza dead-panned. "Also, Lucy doesn't need taking care of, she's perfectly capable of handling herself."

"Hey, Laxus doesn't want your open cases, flame brain!" Gray shouted from his seat. "Just give 'em all to me!"

"I said, Dragneel doesn't have the authority to do that!" Erza shouted, making everyone cover their ears.

* * *

The remaining three days were spent inside the precinct and Natsu had completely forgotten about Lucy and her mysterious man, his mind filled with the mission and preparing everything to make sure that he could come back alive. The only time Lucy had ever entered his mind was when he was alone inside the break room, enjoying (or not) his twelfth cup of coffee.

Today was the last day he had in the city and he was determined to make sure that they had everything ready before tomorrow. Everything was set up inside one of the interrogation rooms where it was safely locked away, Erza the only one to possess the key to open and close the room.

While both him and Gajeel were given a two-hour break from the preparations, Natsu decided to spend it writing a letter to Lucy. After days of thinking about it, he decided that a letter was the best way to tell her he was leaving. Gajeel was sitting beside him sleeping because he has the chance to meet with Levy before they leave before dawn tomorrow. They might even spend the night together.

Sure, Natsu was given the go to spend his last night in the city however he pleased but he knew that once he sees Lucy's face, he would cave. Once he sits with her at her couch, browsing movies, he would never have it in him to leave again.

And so, after pondering so much about it, he came to the conclusion that a letter should do the job just fine. He would have enough time to write his thoughts so that he wouldn't say anything he didn't mean or spill anything about the mission that could endanger her. He also wouldn't need to see her face as she processes it in her pretty little brain how he's leaving her with the possibility of never returning to her side.

No, that would break the resolve he had been solidifying for the past few months in a second.

* * *

He took a deep breath for the tenth time since he sat down at the park near Lucy's house. He was waiting for it to be late enough to drop his letter off at her doorstep instead of at her mailbox so that he wouldn't get caught sneaking around.

Taking a look at his watch, he decided that 9PM was late enough and that she should be home by now, probably enjoying a hot bath or sitting hunched at her desk.

He entered their building for the first time in what felt like an eternity and nodded at Maximo who must have started his shift hours ago. Pressing the button to their floor, Natsu felt his hand sweat profusely. When the elevator doors opened, he was met with the one person he didn't expect to see.

"Levy!" Natsu smiled, stepping out of the elevator and greeting the tiny woman. Don't tell Levy he described her as such or else he might never be able to see tomorrow.

"Natsu!" The blue-haired woman greeted back, a dazzling smile gracing her face. "Are you just going home? Lucy told me she hasn't seen you in days!"

Natsu blinked back in surprise. "Weren't you supposed to spend the night at Gajeel's?" He asked instead, confused why she was at their building. "Oh, are you on your way there?"

"No, that guy said he was working an extra shift today and he doesn't know when he could meet with me again." Levy grumbled, a cute pout replacing the smile on her face as she huffed and cross her arms. "I was helping Lucy prepare for her date with Loke!"

Gajeel isn't spending the night with her either? Weren't they going out? Well, that does make sense because if he were to spend the night with Levy tonight and disappear the next day, someone outside the force would have an idea when they left for their mission. He had to give Gajeel props for - wait, what?

"What?" Natsu asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise. "What?"

"What?" Levy laughed, finding amusement in Natsu's displeasure.

"Lucy's out on a date?" Natsu asked, wanting to hear Levy say that no, he just misheard her.

"Yeah, didn't she tell you?" Gee, thanks Levy, definitely what he wanted to hear. "She left about an hour ago."

Natsu could hear his heart shattering inside his very body. Or wait, is that his soul? He's too disconnected with the present and himself right now to properly tell. There he was, sitting like the pathetic, love-sick fool that he was while Lucy was preparing for a date. He could've stopped it if he weren't being such a big baby about all this.

He sighed, reminding himself that he couldn't let Lucy wait for him - if she would - when his life isn't even guaranteed in this situation. "Anyway, I'm going home, Natsu. It's pretty late, already."

"Oh yeah, you go ahead. Be safe." Natsu nodded his head at the petite woman and pressed the down button for her.

Levy waved her hand goodbye at him before the elevator doors closed. He thought about going inside his unit and sleeping the night off but then he remembered he had to be at Gray's before 12 tonight so he could wake up on time.

Pressing the down button for himself this time, he descended down the building and was about to go out when he felt the paper crunch when it came in contact with his hand the moment he shoved it inside. Not having the energy and fight left to go up the building again, he dropped off the letter he wrote for Lucy at her mailbox.

He waved a defeated hand at Maximo before walking towards the garage and starting his drive to the popsicle pants' house.

* * *

**TL: I'm sorry it took me so long to update! But here it is! And the better news is, I might update tomorrow! I hope everyone is liking the story so far :) **


	5. Code 5

"You look adorable," Loke whispered to Lucy's ear as he helped her out of the car. They were currently in one of the few fancy restaurants in Magnolia for another one of their dates.

"How rude, I wanted to look sexy!" Lucy pouted and linked her arms around Loke's when the man only laughed at her in response. The two of them entered the restaurant and a waitress guided them to the table Loke had reserved for them beforehand.

Lucy observed her surroundings while Loke ordered without asking her what she wanted to eat; his way of showing that he knew Lucy like the back of her hand and Lucy's way of telling him she trusts him.

The restaurant had a vintage vibe to it; the sweet aroma of wine and freshly cooked dishes overwhelming Lucy's olfactory senses. The lights were dimmed and tinted yellow to create the illusion of privacy while the speakers blasted classical music.

Overall, the restaurant was a serene place to be. However, no matter how pleasing the entirety of the restaurant is, Lucy couldn't help but miss the diners that Natsu always took her to where the jukebox only played old 90s music and food that was unbelievably cheap.

Speaking of, she hasn't seen Natsu in days now. Well, that was nothing new really. Ever since she had drunkenly spilled the fact that she actually knew of his secret mission, he had been ordered not to meet with her unless he had been allowed to do so. Which meant that their current situation was partly her fault.

Lucy had no idea when Natsu would be leaving and that was killing her. What if he had already left? What if he was preparing to leave? She had to at least say a few words of goodbye to him, right? She should be allowed that much, isn't she?

Natsu had been a subject of her woes as of late, seeing as he seemed to think that she hates him because he's been too busy for her. He wasn't completely wrong, to be honest. Still, she understood him and she wanted him to understand that and get it through that thick skull of his.

As someone who works herself, Lucy isn't a stranger to the hardships of time-management and she didn't want Natsu to feel so guilty about having less time to hang. It was only a given that he would be too busy, right? It should practically be a job requirement that police men look for friends and lovers who possess unlimited patience to keep the relationship afloat.

"Do you really need to move?" Loke asks her, breaking her out of her Natsu-filled stupor. Lucy tore her gaze away from the food Loke had ordered for her - steak with a side of mashed potatoes - and met his glinting eyes.

It hasn't been long since they started dating each other but Lucy could comfortably be herself around him already. Maybe a bit too comfortable at times. Maybe the fact that they've known each other back when they were brats contribute to that. "Can't you just work on your novel here? A move is a bit much, don't you think?"

Lucy offered him a smile, stole some of Loke's fries and shoved a couple in her mouth before she answered. "This isn't for my book alone. I've been transferred to the company's branch in Acalypha because of a promotion." Lucy said between chews and before her boyfriend could process what she meant, she beat him to it. "I'm now Feature Editor!"

"Oh, that's great news, love!" Loke grinned. He grabbed her hand across the table and caressed it. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Lucy shyly said, the celebratory mirth disappearing at the face of Loke's warm smile.

Loke opened his mouth to start a new topic when Lucy's phone buzzed. Loke, bless him, nodded his head to Lucy's handbag and told her to pick it up at the possibility that it might important. She got her phone out and read that it was Levy who was calling her.

She showed Loke the screen and was about to answer it when the call ended. Raising her eyebrows in confusion, Lucy figured that the call shouldn't have been that important after all. Feeling sorry for interrupting date night, she switched her phone to silent mode and shoved it all the way to the deepest parts of her handbag.

"Anyway, should we toast and get this night started?" Lucy smiled, picked up her wine glass and motioned for Loke's. "You can decide what we're toasting to."

"To your promotion it is, then." Loke grinned, picked up his own glass and gave it a swirl.

"To my promotion," Lucy agreed, clanking her glass with his.

"To your promotion."

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, one that Lucy didn't know was something that she needed after a stress-induced week. They dined and talked, helping each other re-charge for the next day. Talking with Loke was easy and she never felt like he would judge her if she did something that could be counted as bizarre to other people.

Unlike with Natsu, her relationship with Loke wasn't one that clicked right away. No, as children they fought like there was no tomorrow but they trusted each other enough to spill their deepest, naughtiest little secrets without a second thought.

Lucy believed in the strength of their relationship. Loke was one of her people and she was one of his. This small fact never changed even after years of not seeing each other. However, no matter how Lucy loved him as a friend, she wasn't sure they could pull this dating thing off.

By the end of the night, Lucy was on the tipsy side and grinning as she played with the radio. Settling on a Korean song she has never heard before, she leaned back on her seat and sighed, the alcohol's effects starting to wear off. The city was a mixture of black and orange to her slightly drunken self but she didn't think the place ever looked as pretty.

The headlights of the passing cars were starting to make her dizzy and so she closed her eyes for the remainder of the drive. She was slipping in and out of sleep but she did notice when Loke stopped the car and woke her up to roll the window down to help shake the remnants of alcohol from her system.

"Are you still drunk?" Loke joked, unbuckling her seat belt for her.

"I was _never_ drunk." Lucy pointed out, "But I'm feeling a bit more sober now. Thank you for tonight."

Loke laughed and grabbed her hand. "Do you need me to pick you up tomorrow?"

"No, that's fine. I think Natsu can give me a ride." Lucy answered. "No need to go out of your way to drive across the city."

"Thank God," Loke jested. "Tell Natsu I want to meet him soon."

Lucy nodded and reached to give him a peck before she got off his car. She waved goodbye, climbed her stairs and looked back, staring at the image of Loke's car as it drove away.

If she was asked what the one thing she admired about the man she was currently dating; it would be his respect for her and her personal life. Ever since they started dating, Lucy had recounted many of her silly tales and mini adventures be it with Natsu or the others and she never felt even an ounce of jealousy from him.

It felt good to confide in someone who was understanding enough to know that she _did_ have a life outside of their relationship and someone who didn't limit her human interaction to him alone. And Loke in return, told her of the many women he had dated during their time apart and Lucy would laugh so hard tears would burst from her eyes.

She nodded to Maximo who was on the verge of sleeping and gave him a pat to wake him up a bit. Lucy pressed the _Up_ button of the elevator then the number of her floor. While the machinery took her up, she used to time to browse her phone and see if Levy had left a voicemail.

Her brows furrowed at her screen. There were tons of calls from Levy but not one voicemail nor was there a text or even a single call from Natsu. Now _that_ was weird. By now, he'd be bombarding her phone with calls, asking her where the heck she is and why she isn't home yet.

The elevator doors opened to her floor and she decided to do a quick check if Natsu was already home. Maybe he was still stuck at the precinct? If so, then that would explain the silence. She was about to press the doorbell when a thought struck her. It was already late and he might be sleeping. If so, she shouldn't be disturbing him.

Nodding to herself, she walked past Natsu's door and entered her unit.

Come morning, Lucy was thankful for her past self that she didn't drink too much to cause a hangover but it still didn't help her wake up on time.

And so here she was now, pulling her stilettos a bit harder than she should and banging on Natsu's door an hour before she's supposed to go. Now you may ask, why would she consider herself late when she still had an hour left?

Well, that's because Natsu Dragneel takes two hours to get ready. No, not because he had to decide his outfit or put on make-up because one, she picked his outfits for him ever since they started going to work together and two, he only applied sunscreen and chapstick, courtesy of her.

Whipping her phone out, she tried dialing his home phone and see if the man was just sleeping inside but the silence remained untouched. Did he cut off his subscription? Maybe he finally realized a home phone was useless because it wasn't like he was a business man. Then, she tried his mobile phone. Now _that_ should be reachable right? The man was practically glued to his phone whenever he was free.

When her usual methods of waking him up didn't get the door to open, she opted to use her last resort. Barging in. She hurriedly punched in his password and opened the door, expecting Happy to jump from the couch because of the sudden noise but she was met with silence.

Not even the cat was around to scratch at her tights.

Finding this beyond odd, Lucy looked around the whole unit for at least the ghost of a person or any signs that he had been home for the past few days but there was neither. She turned to her watch and realized that if she didn't go now, the bus to the train station would leave any minute.

Deciding to put off the mysteries of Natsu's absence to the back of her head until she's safely inside the train, she locked his condominium again and ran all the way to the bus stop.

When she was inside the train, the usual silence from the commuters and repetitive reminders blasting from the train's speakers for passengers with regards their belongings. Same old, same old. The moment her station was called, she got ready to get off.

Lucy spent the rest of her day finalizing the documents for her transfer to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible both for her and for the people she will be leaving her work in Magnolia. Her replacement was stuck to her hip like a glue and observed her quietly while asking questions from time to time.

By the second half of the day, Lucy left the guy at the hands of one of her co-workers while she attended a meeting with the Jason. During the meeting, Jason gave her a detailed re-briefing about her position and how it'll change her work. He also explained to her about the additional responsibilities she'll have to carry on her shoulders from this time.

The more she listened to her boss talk, the more she's doubting her decision. Was it really the right choice to leave Magnolia? She _has_ lived in the city for the past three years and it helped her meet great people. Was it even the right timing? Should she wait a bit more? One after another, the doubts and questions filled her head.

"Now, you'll be assigned there for a year. We'll think about what we'll do then. I know you want to go to Acalypha to also work on your novel so I decided to give you full control of your work days." Jason's words were like the gust of wind the cleared the fog. Lucy cracked a smile in gratitude. "Just make sure you make it to the deadline of the articles and I will be satisfied. Miss one deadline and it's back to fixed schedule for you." Jason's words sounded serious but there was an underlying humor in his tone and from the smile he was giving her.

"Thank you, Jason." Lucy smiled, her hands gripping the files in front of her. "You can't even begin how comforted I feel right now."

"I'll be in Acalypha maybe once or twice a month to check up on things, though. Don't get too relaxed." Jason jested, sitting back on his chair. "Anyway, have you and Levy found a place yet?"

"Yes, we have. It's a bus away from both of our offices so it's just perfect. We're going to start getting everything in boxes tomorrow."

"I see, you leave in a week, yes?"

Lucy nodded her head in confirmation and stood up to leave when she was dismissed. Back at her desk, she plucked the post-it she placed in the fake pot of flowers Natsu had given her on a whim and looked over all of the things she had to get done before the day ends.

Checking everything out both on her mind and crossing everything she had managed to complete on the paper so as to not confuse herself, she tried sticking it back on the fake pot but it kept falling so Lucy decided to throw the paper on the dust bin on her left seeing as she only had one thing left to accomplish before she can go home; _edit her last article for Magnolia's Fiore Tomorrow. _

Thinking she had enough free time to browse her phone, she got it out and realized that it was quite unsettling how it hasn't vibrated at all today. Usually, during the days she couldn't go to work with Natsu because he was being a lazy bum, he would text her the minute - or, a few minutes - after he wakes up. Today was different. Her phone was quieter than a dead man.

Finding her best friend's actions - or lack thereof -, beyond peculiar, she sent him a quick text asking him if he had breakfast before he went to work today.

The rest of the day, she was able to edit her article but not without distractions. The lack of activity from Natsu was the one that was occupying her mind. Sure, he hasn't been very available the past few days because of work but there wasn't a day when he missed sending her a quick text. Until today.

Deciding to check up on him again tonight, she bid her last goodbyes to her co-workers. They threw her a small '_thanks for everything'_ get-together after their shifts where they had some cake and non-alcoholic booze (something that if Cana had known, she'd flip and say '_what's the fucking point?!'_). After an hour of just hanging out together, the party had died down and they all went their separate ways.

Lucy smiled at the bouquet of flowers that Jason had given her. Sure it wasn't easy to get along with the eccentric man at first but he was a total sweetheard and it was hard not to love him once you got to know him a little bit better.

Through the years she's known Jason, she can definitely say that the man has calmed down if only a little bit. When she first met him, he was giddy over every little thing and was all over the place once he hears even a little whisper that could potentially become a hot topic. Now, he was a bit laid-back and has lightness in his steps that helps everyone stay calm even when they're approaching an inevitable deadline.

Lucy waved a hi to Maximo who was starting to doze off as usual and took the elevator to her floor. She rang the doorbell for Natsu's unit but was responded with silence. Not even a purr or a meow from the always vocal ball of fur that is Happy.

Finding it odd and more than concerning, Lucy decided to barge in. "Natsu? Happy?" She called inside the dark room. It wasn't new that Natsu would have all the lights off inside the house especially when he just came home from an overnight shift and was sleeping the daylights away.

When she was still met with silence, a thought that had been poking the back of her mind finally made its way to the front lines. Not wanting to acknowledge the possibility, Lucy called Gray to have him convince her that there's no way that _that_ was what was going on here.

There's no way he would just up and leave like a fucking douche, right? That wouldn't be right. That's not how Natsu would be. She knows that he wouldn't actually tell her that he was leaving because that would just end with his head skewered in Erza's machete. But she expected that he would at the very least show himself before he left. Even a few hours would have been enough. Was that too much to ask?

"Hey-o," Gray's voice sounded from her phone. She put Gray on speaker and set her phone on Natsu's coffee table while she looked around the room for a trace of Happy.

"Did Natsu take off?"

Gray was silent for a few beats then a sigh was heard, "Yeah, this morning." Lucy heard a weak cry from near the phone and took a peak under the coffee table in the hopes of finding a blue bundle. "He told me he wasn't able to visit you. Happy's here with me, Natsu told me to give him to you if you want him."

"I'm leaving for Acalypha in a week and I don't know when I'll be back."

"Natsu told me you might say that." Gray replied, "He doesn't really mind. He's more at ease at the idea of you having Happy than with me."

"I'll have to talk to Levy about it." Lucy stood up from her position on the floor and dusted herself off. "What about Natsu's condo?"

"His cousin, Sting, will be living in it while he's away."

Lucy nodded then realized that he couldn't see her so she muttered a weak okay before saying goodbye.

The following days was even busier for both Lucy and Levy. They spent the first two days cleaning up their own homes, putting and organizing everything in boxes. Lucy was able to convince Levy to start fresh in their new apartment in Acalypha which meant bring as little stuff as possible and to donate anything she can.

Levy was renting the one she has in Magnolia so it wasn't hard to think about what she has to do with it. The same can't be said about Lucy's though. Hers was one she bought with the money her parents left her and saved up for a year of work. The moment she talked her plan through with Levy a few months ago, she immediately talked with a real estate agent to look for renters.

In the end, Lucy decided to rent it out while she was away. She had too many good memories in the place to sell it off like nothing and it had the best view of the sunrise so there's no way she'll just up and give it away for grabs that easily.

On the third day, the two of them went to Goodwill to drop off all of the clothes they didn't need then drove to the local library to donate almost a couple hundred books that shocked the librarian. Lucy expected the process to be done in no time so she planned to also check in with the real estate team that she left her condo with.

However, by the time they went out of the library, it was already well past five which meant that the office would be closing anytime soon. Lucy decided to postpone the matter with her place the next day and opted for a dinner date with Levy instead.

"I heard you're taking care of Lily?" Lucy asked Levy while they ate their dinner at 8island.

"Yeah, there's really no one else and my mind would be more at ease when I have him with me."

"Yeah, I feel you. Actually, I was thinking of taking Happy with us. Do you mind?"

"Of course not, Lu! I'm sure Natsu would feel better when Happy's with you and Lily would also have a playmate with him when we're both too busy."

Lucy smiled at her best friend and finished eating their meal in silence. Lucy had been considering taking Happy with her to Acalypha for a few days now but she didn't want to burden Levy with it but since Levy was also bringing Lily with them, then that'd let Lucy feel a bit more comfortable with the thought.

The next day was spent with Lucy talking with the agent. They were able to find a renter which put Lucy's mind at ease, she asked if she can meet them that day to decide the contract. While the agent contacted the renter, Lucy decided to pick up Happy from Gray's house while she waited so as to not waste any daylights.

When the agent sent her a text saying the renter's on their way, she dropped Happy off at Levy's and went on her way back to the agent's office.

There, she met the brown-haired young gentleman who would be occupying her condominium for the next months, maybe years. For now, Lucy was putting her home for rent for a good year. Jason _did_ tell her she'll only be in Acalypha for probably a year and then it's most likely back in Magnolia for her.

They talked about Lucy's conditions, the rent, the payment method, and the duration of the rental. When everything was taken care of, it was decided that Hibiki would be moving in a week's time. During the short time they talked, Lucy trusted Hibiki enough that he wouldn't totally destroy the place she has called home for the past three years.

With that out of the way, Lucy spent the next day processing their moving papers with the moving company and the city hall. It was a law in Ishgar that if you were to change your address, you would have to inform your local city hall and have your address changed or else there will be a penalty.

Levy already moved all of her belongings out of her old apartment and placed it at Lucy's by their last day in Magnolia. They were chilling inside Lucy's condominium, watching Lady and the Tramp when the doorbell rang. Lucy looked to Levy and silently pondered who it might be.

"I didn't order anything," Levy answered her friend's unspoken question.

When Lucy opened the door, Erza and everyone else was there, pizza and other food on their hands. "You guys!"

"What, did you really think we're just going to let you two go without a word of goodbye?" Mira smiled, "It's time for a party!"

Before Lucy could stop them, everyone started coming inside without even asking her. Soon, they had set the table up while Gray and Laxus moved their stuff to Lucy's guest room to make space for the 'party'. Within a minute, the party was in full bloom. Erza brought her wireless microphone with her and had her own karaoke while everybody covered their ears, Gray was dancing to the beat of a song that Lisanna had played and was stark-naked in record time.

Lucy couldn't stop her smile the whole time and thought how she would miss these goofballs of the police precinct. There were times when they irritated her to no end with their ridiculous antics but in the end, she was more than grateful to have met them. And the one person who gave her this opportunity wasn't here and might even be hurt at this exact moment.

The instant Natsu's pained face appeared in her mind, Lucy tried her best to shake it off. It was supposed to be a merry night. She can't let her negativity ruin the night for them. She has to trust in her best friend's abilities to protect and keep himself alive.

By the time the party had died down, everyone started going home one by one until the only one left was Erza. She gave them both a hug that Lucy swore could have broken her ribs had the red-head put in a bit more strength.

Lucy, despite her head-splitting headache, pushed herself out of bed to get ready for her breakfast with Loke. It was the last day they'll be seeing each other at least until a few months. A week has passed since she saw Loke and weirdly, she doesn't feel as lonely as she thought she would.

She had given her relationship with Loke a few re-considerations and in the end, she came to the conclusion that dating or hanging out with Loke was like spending time with a brother or a cousin whom you share a special bond with. Don't get her wrong, she's happy when she's with Loke. She can freely be herself around him which saves her the effort to keep herself in the line.

But there's just something that's so weirdly comforting about his presence. It's like going home to your hometown that you haven't been in for years, or eating your mom's food. Lucy placed the blame on them being childhood friends again and thought nothing more of it until they talked about her moving again.

"So you're finally leaving later, huh?" Loke opened the topic. Lucy stared at the two-pieces of pancake on his plate and the cup of coffee he was mixing.

"Yeah, at three in the afternoon."

"Be sure to unplug and turn off everything." Loke reminded her. "Also, did you check your mails already?"

"Yes, yes, dad." Lucy laughed and nodded, taking a bite of her English muffin. "I took out my mail already but I haven't found the time to look through them yet. I'm sure they're not very important. All my important mails are through my e-mail."

"Can't be too sure, though." Loke smiled at her in a way that made her uneasy. It looked like there was something wrong but he was debating whether or not to tell her which also made her hesitant to ask him. "Anyway, it's good that you're not really leaving anyone behind here so I guess this one year away from everything is the best for you."

Lucy's mouth edged upward in an uneasy smile. "What do you mean? I have you here, though." Lucy didn't want to comment about his statement being partly true though she doesn't want him to feel bad.

"About that, Lucy." Loke started and the moment he looked at her with those almost golden eyes, she knew where this was heading. She let him finish though so she opted to keep her mouth shut. "I don't think we're suited to date each other. Don't get me wrong, I love you, but I don't think it's kind of love that comes with dating somebody."

Lucy smiled, "I get you. Honestly? If you hadn't initiated this, I would have let it drag on but I think it would have taken me a month or two at most before I would think about breaking it off."

"So, there's no hard feelings?"

"No, gosh no!" Lucy laughed playfully slapping Loke's hand that was resting at the table. "I love you too, but every time I'm with you it just feels like I'm talking with my brother because I'm too comfortable with you."

"Yes! That's what it is!" Loke laughed, pointing at Lucy in laughter.

"Well, I hope you find somebody good though." Lucy patted his hand. They both stood up at the same time and headed for the exit.

"I don't need to hope for you. I'm sure he'll be back in no time." Loke gave Lucy a hug before pressing a peck on her forehead, making Lucy close her eyes in comfort. "Keep in contact. I'll visit you whenever I can."

"Are you done counting the boxes, Lu?" Levy asked her. Lucy looked back at her clipboard and confirmed that she had indeed checked everything off.

"Yep, we have all of them."

"Did you recount?" Levy pointed out, her pointed glasses slid down to the bridge of her nose.

Again, Lucy nodded. "I counted four times."

Lucy saw her friend smile in satisfaction from her peripherals. She decided to move on to sorting out the mail she had from her old condominium, seeing as Levy was handling the final transactions with the moving company.

It had been a few hours since they arrived at their new apartment and Lucy could feel the freshness seeping out from every corners of their two-bedroom home. It took them months to find the perfect apartment and they both couldn't help but feel more than thankful for Lyon and Shelia for helping them through the process. Which reminds her, they should give them the present they bought for the small family the moment they meet.

Setting her stack of mail at the only table that wasn't drowning in boxes, Lucy immediately set out to work. She should have definitely done this before they left for Acalypha but Levy had some last minute packing left to do and Lucy had to help her to get it done in time. And now here she was, organizing her mail at their pigsty of an apartment.

Lucy scanned through her bills and threw out the ones she had already paid. Lucy already knew her paper mails by heart now that she could pluck the odd one out in one glance and that was exactly what this sorry piece for an envelope was. She has never seen it before and it was crumpled Lucy thought the delivery man might have slipped on his way to dropping it off to her mail.

Her brows furrowed, not used to feeling even a bit antsy about an unknown letter. She flipped the envelope for a hint about the sender and felt her heart drop once she read her name written in scribbled letters. "Natsu," she breathed.

"Is it from him?" Levy asked from her shoulder and Lucy didn't have the strength to hide it from her so she only nodded her head. "Well what are you waiting for? Read it."

"I-I'm a bit scared."

"That's a given," Levy laughed and patted her shoulder before walking away. "It's better than getting nothing though so at least be thankful."

"I am!" Lucy blushed, feeling a bit silly about a small letter. She knew it was Levy's way of letting her deal with it on her own but she didn't have to sound so lighthearted about it!

With a pout, Lucy cut it open with her letter opener and unfolded the page with shaky fingers.

_Heya Luce, _

_I figured I should probably say something before I go but I_ _couldn't really__ didn't really have it in me to talk to you in person._ _So here it is!_ _So I thought a letter would be more appropriate. I know that if I meet you tonight, I'm gonna have a hard time getting out of home. _

_Take care of yourself and of Happy while I'm gone, Luce. You guys will always be in my mind. I'll be home soon. _

Lucy couldn't stifle her bursts of laughter at the scribbles and mistakes Natsu wrote at the beginning. Looks like he's a bit more capable of thinking his words through on paper than in person.

"_'I'll be home',_ huh?" Lucy heard Levy say from behind her, making her shriek and press the letter to her chest in surprise.

"Stop snooping!"

Levy shrugged her shoulders and walked away, two boxes large enough to tower her was on her arms. "It looks to me like he's subtly telling you he likes you."

"Stop it, it's not like that." Lucy sighed and folded Natsu's letter again and tucked it in her pocket for safekeeping.

"Sure, hit me up when you're done with the denial." Levy joked and slammed her door shut before Lucy could throw her purse at the woman.

Placing her last book at her bookshelf, Lucy stepped back and it finally dawned on her how much she actually donated to Magnolia's library. It was almost half of her collection! She stared at her other bookshelf, now an extra seeing as she had given its contents away.

She plumped down at her bed and seconds later, Happy came purring and snuggled against her chest. Seriously, this cat and his obsession with cuddles. "How are you, Happy?"

Happy only snuggled closer in response and curled to a ball. "I wonder what Natsu's doing by now?" Lucy stroked Happy's fur, making him purr in satisfaction, moving closer to Lucy's face and burying his whole body in Lucy's neck.

"Thanks for being here, Happy." Lucy turned and wrapped Happy in her arms, pulling the covers to cover them.

* * *

**Note: As promised, a new chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you can't believe how happy your words made me feel. Also, did the sudden change in point of view surprise you? I hope it did lol! **

**Now, I feel like I haven't been the best at replying to everyone so here's me trying to make it up to you guys lol.**

**_Amanny - _Thank you for always reviewing, your words are always the highlight of my day whenever I update. :) **

**_Guest 1 - _I'm glad you're finding the story exciting! I still have a bit more up my sleeve so please look forward to that as well! Stay safe as well! **

**_Guest 2 - _I had to use Google translate to understand you but I'm also crying from your kind words! Thank you so much for continuing to read this story despite my overall lack of presence. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed today's chapter and I'll do my best to update sometime tomorrow as well! Until then :)**


	6. Code 6

**TWO AND A HALF DAYS AWAY**

Natsu made quick work on assembling the squad for the raid that they were going to do in two days time. Usually, this kind of raid would take them weeks on end just to plan but seeing as they only had less that forty-eight hours to get it all arranged made both Gajeel and him quite antsy.

Looking back on it now, Natsu thought that it was quite well-planned on the enemies' part that they don't unveil this plan until the very last minute. This meant that any snitch wouldn't be given enough time to do their jobs and with the limited personnel on the job, it made it easier for them to keep track of everyone.

Thinking back, Natsu was grateful to his past self for doing his best to gain his superior's trust within weeks.

"Our precinct, the 6th, will be handling the majority of the raid while the surrounding closer precincts; the 27th, 18th, and 29th will be leading crowd control and vicinity clearing." Ultear went over the plan for the second time that day since they finalized it.

After sharing the intel to Gajeel and thinking about what they should do, they arrived to a surprisingly easy conclusion; to arrest these bastards and go back home to the nine-nine.

"Right, and salamander here will be wired or was that out of the equation?" Gajeel clarified, clearly spacing out for the later part of the meeting.

"No, we can't have him connected to a wire when there's a possibility that he might be searched." Eric spat, probably annoyed at Gajeel for causing even a bit of delay. "This thing's gonna blow in front of our eyes before we even start."

"No need to get your panties in a bunch, little man."

Before a fight could break out, Ultear smacked her hands roughly against the tabletop, making Natsu hiss in both the splitting sound it made and because her hand must be _stinging_ from the impact.

He once saw Lucy throw a fit over having to work overtime the next day and took it out on her work desk. Not even a split-second later, she was spitting out profanities after the other.

"Clearly, you both weren't listening to me. Once they give him the earpiece, Dragneel will switch it for the one we give him." She looks to him with a glare that could rival Erza's. "Once you utter the signal, we're moving."

* * *

**THREE HOURS, TWENTY SIX MINUTES AND THIRTEEN SECONDS AWAY**

They had less than four hours until Natsu has to go to work. Gajeel had left to go to Eric's house where he will wait until they have to go just to lose anyone possibly tailing Natsu, his movements, and anyone related to him.

In his place, Sorano was watching over the hotel, taking extra note of every possibly suspicious movement. "Do you want to get some food after everything is done?" The girl asked Natsu when he was on his way to his bed to sleep.

"What?"

"Look, I'm interested in you." Sorano clarifies, "I don't mean I like you, at least not yet, but I know you don't have a girl or anything. So, I'm asking you if you'd like to go for dinner some time."

"You know I can't, I'm undercover."

"That's why I said when all of this is done." Sorano laughs, making a gesture towards the screens in front of her.

"Oh, yeah." Natsu scratches his head. Besides Lisanna, he's never really known anyone else who has shown him interest romantic style. "Well, it's true that I don't have a girlfriend yet but I already have someone I like, and well, possibly love. I know it sounds cheesy and probably disgusting but it's what I feel."

"Oh!"

Natsu decided to stay silent, opting to let her gather her thoughts first.

"Well, I'm happy for you." Sorano says, giving him a quick smile. "You just seemed like a great guy, your cousin said you were single, and I didn't want to waste such an opportunity to bed you."

Natsu liked the lightheartedness of Sorano's words, making him feel okay with what he had said earlier. Of course, the bedding part was slightly uncomfortable but it wasn't anything Natsu hadn't heard before. He was a virgin in the actual sex department but he couldn't say the same for the flirting and sexual innuendos area.

Turning away from Soriano, Natsu moves to rest for a while on the couch. He rubs his hand against his face and lays his head on the armrest, legs plopping on the coffee table in front of him. Sleep was a hard commodity to find when his head was filled with thoughts about the raid. Natsu was desperate to make this work.

They had been on this undercover and stake-out for more than a few months now and he was about done with it. Sure, he was mentally prepared to go for more than a year, heck even for death, but with the progress that they have done for the past few weeks, his optimist side has been getting the best of him.

If they can finish this tonight, it would shorten the duration of the whole mission half of its originally predicted duration. And then, he can go back home to Lucy and Happy. He was well aware of how Lucy was still dating that Loke guy, he didn't forget but he also never really consciously thought about the guy.

Natsu didn't notice that he had fallen asleep in the midst of his thoughts until his alarm had woken him up, the sharp ringing making him sit up.

The nerves that were buzzing a while ago were on a frenzy now. Natsu stood up and stayed motionless, trying to sort his thoughts together. He knew what he was supposed to do; take a shower and go. That was it. But his brain and body won't cooperate.

Taking a deep breath, Natsu went to the only mirror they had and ran his hands across his face. It was the first time in a while since he took a good look at his appearance. Back home, Lucy would always poke fun at the growing stubble in his face, saying it doesn't suit his face which also served as his reminder that he needed to shave.

Mental note: clean up before going home.

Natsu grabbed his towel and took a brisk shower, unusually pumped about going to work. He was finally living his undercover dream!

Now, he didn't want to be misunderstood but he was still glad he didn't back down from this mission after all. It was a great learning experience even if it meant he could end up dead and he could finally have something to brag to that popsicle stick.

Gray was always bragging that he was a trained negotiator _and_ a detective while Natsu was just a detective. When the ice-dick brought that insult to the table, Natsu didn't really have a very good verbal comeback so answered with what he did best, punched the stripper straight to the nose where it hurt best.

He bid a short goodbye to Sorano, her asking him out to dinner completely forgotten. Natsu brought the pager Ultear told him to bring in case they can't hack the radio communications on time, telling him that anything is fine and the moment he sends even a number their way, they're going to take it as the go signal so he best be careful.

The auction house was a bit quieter than usual; something that he had expected from the get-go. By the time he was in position, his earpiece ready and working on his ear, he had to check multiple times that he had put on the right one lest he messes up the whole operation.

As Eric had suspected, they patted everyone down before letting them go but Natsu was able to identify the exact model of the earpiece they used here and had Ultear give him the same one.

Before being asked to stay put somewhere around the room, Natsu helped move the tables around until only three circular tables and one rectangular one remained inside.

As he observed the staff members add the final touches to the tables, he quickly realized that the Baram Alliance - as they liked to call themselves - weren't there to bid at all. At least not in the way that Natsu was used to.

The stage remained dark with the curtains closed, the round tables that were lined up in front of the long rectangular table covered in red satin fabric had nothing on top of it. Not even a bidding number or bottles of water. Or even the decorative vase of flowers.

The most striking feature of the whole place however were the high-military grade machinery that were secured inside glass display showcases. There were guns, grenades, and even a bazooka that Natsu had only seen at a tech exposition but never really had the chance to use.

Not long after the staff finished preparing everything, the key members of the Alliance started arriving in groups. How did they not look suspicious when they moved around like a herd of gazelles is beyond Natsu.

This was it. This was their chance.

Natsu was about to signal Gajeel and the others that the operation was a go but decided to hold it off for a bit, waiting for them to start and spill any major details sounded like a much better deal.

But then, some long-haired guy nodded his head towards the man who was organizing the whole thing and Natsu knew they were going to be asked to stand guard outside in a minute's time.

Looks like they didn't have the time to stall it. If these bastards won't fess up here, then they're going to have to spill their dirty little secrets in the interrogation room.

Natsu thought it'd be weird if he screwed around and said his signal out loud to the intercom. Usually, him and his other co-workers would talk nonsense with their earpieces on a normal day.

Today, however, even Natsu's co-worker Marcus who was always the one starting it all, remained a resting bitch face. Going against the odds of it all, Natsu decided to hell with it.

Taking a few deep breaths, Natsu saw his co-workers talk through their earpieces and he decided to use that time and talked at the same time; "Got them."

Marcus saw Natsu's lips move but probably didn't hear his voice and gave him a look. Natsu tapped his earpiece, acting as if there was something wrong with it as he shrugged his shoulders and tried fixing it.

Before he could put his earpiece back in his ear, he heard Gajeel's booming voice. "Freeze, APD! You're all under arrest!"

Now usually, when a band of criminals hear the word '_freeze'_ their common reaction is to do just that. However, it looks like countless years of criminal activity and valuable experiences helps with removing the effects of the word on a person.

Every single one of them were quick on their feet, guns being pulled out but it was clear that their main priority is to get away since they were all heading for the nearest exit; the very one next to Natsu.

"Oh no, you don't." Natsu quickly locked the door on his side and stood in front of it.

"Move, you bastard! We're gonna fucking shoot you!" A woman shouted, brandishing her gun in front of Natsu. The man in front of her, however, opted for a physical battle instead of a verbal argument/threats.

The man who had spike-looking hair tackled Natsu, shouting for their leader to get through while he pinned the detective down. Natsu elbowed him on the face and made sure he can't move by twisting his body to face the ground and securing his arms behind him.

Natsu saw the pistol resting on the leg of the man he just immobilized. With his right hand, he swiftly got it out and was about to fire a warning shot when he heard a gun ring out and not even a split-second later, a stinging pain on his left abdomen.

Grunting in pain, his mind was quick to remind him of the criminal that he was pinning down. Natsu didn't let his grip on the man below him waver but his face contorted in pain. His ears were ringing, his mind focused on the pain but he willed his body to put all of his strength on the man below him to keep him down.

Just when Natsu felt like he can't keep the man down any longer, he heard another gun shot sound off and a bullet flying past his cheek. Then, he felt the criminal below him stop resisting.

He was dying. Literally.

He just got shot on the stomach and not even minutes after that, his A bullet grazes his fucking _cheek_! What a _fucking_nightmare this shit show is.

Why can't the world just _give him a break!? _

He could feel intense heat spread through his lower abdomen. His right cheek was pulsing, as if angry. He wanted to _shout_in pain, to fucking _cry,_ to do anything, just to release even the tiniest bit of pain from both his cheek and abdomen.

But Natsu stayed silent, his jaw locked in concentration. He felt like any second now and his jaw would fucking give up on him and just _shatter_ because that's how everything seems to go now. He could feel his hands getting colder by the second at the same time perspire both at the thought dying and feeling like his soul was being _ripped_ from his body.

His breathing was getting labored, to the point that if he were to inhale, he could _hear_ his lungs trying to calm itself and remember how it worked. In mere seconds, Natsu was mentally coaching himself to breathe in and out just to keep even a tiny bit of control over the situation.

Just before he was going to pass out, Natsu felt someone lay him down and Ultear pressing his wound, trying to stop the blood from overflowing.

Great, he was _dying_ and all the fucking criminals were getting away. The only man he could stop from running was shot dead probably by the man's comrades themselves.

He looked down at his abdomen and saw Ultear's hands covered in his blood. He cringed at the sight of his blood oozing out of his gunshot wound, staining the white of his shirt and cursed, thinking that he will most _definitely_ get a mouthful from Lucy for this shit.

All those months of work blown because he couldn't guard a fucking door.

**0 SECONDS.**

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I'm sorry I've been so busy with online school! We're a month in our summer break and I've been taking the time to read and catch up on my sleep. I've also been working a lot to save up for an apartment. How's everyone doing so far? I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


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